Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Lowered by Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC

Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC decreased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 719 shares during the period. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $116.78 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $90.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $111.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Duke Energy 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.