Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Centaurus Financial Inc.

Centaurus Financial Inc. reduced its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,143 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 159 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $593,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 9.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 108,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,520,000 after buying an additional 9,334 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 116.2% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 37,067 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,584,000 after acquiring an additional 19,919 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $361,000. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp increased its position in Duke Energy by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 4,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.69.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $117.05 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $115.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $109.98. The company has a market cap of $90.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. 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.