Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Buys 8,732 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 47.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,732 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,115,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $30,000. Sachetta LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the third quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.69.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.7 %

NYSE DUK opened at $112.10 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $114.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.64. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $86.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.