Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Americana Partners LLC

Americana Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 34.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,121 shares during the quarter. Americana Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,023 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 894 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 25,824 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,545,000 after buying an additional 1,122 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,691,000 after buying an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adviser Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $304,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $96.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $74.28 billion, a PE ratio of 27.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.46. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $100.39. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.26%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 115.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America downgraded Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Evercore ISI upgraded Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.67.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.