Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Short Interest Update

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,630,000 shares, a growth of 9.4% from the August 31st total of 10,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,930,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.0 days.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $116.22. 3,729,301 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,982,883. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $118.31. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $113.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.21.

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.