Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Aspen Investment Management Inc

Aspen Investment Management Inc lessened its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 179 shares during the quarter. Aspen Investment Management Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PBMares Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.8% in the third quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $113.15 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $87.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.