Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Coastline Trust Co

Coastline Trust Co trimmed its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 45.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 905 shares during the quarter. Coastline Trust Co’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $121.65 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $117.56 and a 200-day moving average of $114.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $96.68 and a 52-week high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $94.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.