Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 54,211 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 945,845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,211 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $91,471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 9,164.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 979,294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $95,031,000 after acquiring an additional 968,723 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 4,163.9% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 882,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $85,352,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,515,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $799,599,000 after buying an additional 842,458 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 242.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,044,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $101,348,000 after buying an additional 739,112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,141,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,081,125,000 after buying an additional 509,039 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK traded up $1.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $106.53. 2,933,876 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,916,995. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $101.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.82. The stock has a market cap of $82.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.78. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $107.26.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 103.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Mizuho increased their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,190,031.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Duke Energy news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the sale, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $409.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Duke Energy

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.