Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Pullen Investment Management LLC

Pullen Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 477 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.5%

Duke Energy stock opened at $116.75 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $118.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

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.