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Duke Energy is an electric power holding company whose stock is a low-risk investment. Despite its poor return on equity, Duke Energy has strengths that will continue to make it a reliable dividend stock. The company has performed poorly during the most recent quarter, but this is expected to improve. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK ) is the largest electric power holding company in the United States and it is expected to stand firm in the electric utilities industry. Recently, the company has underperformed the industry average in many respects, causing its stock price to decrease from $89 to $70 within the past half year. However, an improvement in both company performance and market performance is anticipated. Duke Energy’s faults may currently overshadow its strengths, so it is important to dig deeper into the company’s operations and history before making a decision to buy. Insider Monkey shows that Luminus Management held onto about 1.68 million shares of DUK after decreasing its position by 22%. Seminole Capital’s position in DUK was slightly higher with 630,534 shares, while Highbridge Capital added a new position of 350,000 shares in DUK. We follow these funds because as Insider Monkey shows ( read the details here ), they have a penchant for making good long picks, but their short picks usually eat into their overall returns. In total, Insider Monkey showed five funds adding new positions in the shares of DUK and ten exiting their stakes. We think those funds staying long will not regret their decisions. Duke Energy has struggled with a YTD return of -12.19% even though its shares outstanding have decreased by 2.8% in the same time. The company’s gross margin of 42% exceeds the industry average, but its revenue has decreased over the past year, and in turn, DUK’s EPS has hit a recent low of $3.46. These disappointing statistics are troubling to investors, but there is plenty of reason to still consider DUK as a worthy investment. While many have lost faith in Duke Energy as of the most recent quarter, the company remains poised to reaffirm its reputation and generate a steady source of income for its shareholders. As the largest electric holding company in the country, Duke Energy has shown that its strengths will continue to make it an attractive opportunity for investors. With $120 billion or more in operating assets and nearly 8 million customer relationships , the company can ensure consistent operating cash flows and dividends. Its dividend yield is currently 4.49%. Slumping performance metrics are expected to improve in the near future as well. According to TheStreet , the market expects EPS to increase by $1.00 in the next year. With this may come a decrease in P/E ratio all else equal, meaning DUK may be undervalued considering its forecasted EPS. Additionally, NASDAQ shows DUK will realize earnings growth of 2.4% on a year-end basis and 5.28% by the end of 2016. DUK is known for its relatively consistent cash flows, but an improvement in performance may also be around the corner. Perhaps most important to investors, DUK is a low-risk stock, even compared to most other dividend stocks with an ultra-low beta of 0.35 on a 5-year basis. Its generally consistent performance is why the dividend has increased every year and the yield now stands at 4.5%. DUK remains an attractive option for risk-averse investors in that they have generated predictable cash flows through out their 150+ year existence, and its stock’s fortunes are not entirely tied to the market and the company’s fortunes are not entirely tied to the economy. Duke Energy’s two biggest direct competitors, American Electric Power Company (NYSE: AEP ) and CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP ), have underperformed even more so than DUK. According to Yahoo Finance , AEP and CNP trail DUK in quarterly revenue growth, gross margins, operating margins, and EPS. The electric utilities industry in aggregate, however, has outperformed DUK in terms of quarterly revenue growth, perhaps due to the emergence of utility-scale solar developers. Otherwise, DUK seems to be in a far better position than its two largest direct competitors and the electric utilities industry as a whole. Duke Energy is a low-risk stock that may not offer grand price appreciation, but the company can provide shareholders with a steady source of income through dividends. Its position in the electric utilities industry, including its enormous portfolio of operating assets, allows cash flows to remain relatively predictable. Despite the disappointment surrounding recent performance metrics, DUK is still a reliable investment opportunity and can provide some stability in an increasingly volatile market. Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. (More…) I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Scalper1 News
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