Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Buys 25,196 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 391,725 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 25,196 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL owned about 0.05% of Duke Energy worth $38,013,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CKW Financial Group bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $28,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of DUK traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $94.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,267,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,035,521. The stock has a market cap of $73.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $83.06 and a 52 week high of $100.39. The company's fifty day moving average price is $94.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.09.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 9.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Duke Energy from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $101.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by 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.

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