Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Advocate Group LLC

Advocate Group LLC reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,968 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,110 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.5% of Advocate Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $109.86 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $84.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.49. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $110.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.21.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.80%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.