Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC

Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 42.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,797 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,318 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,378,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $779,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 1,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $118.91 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $116.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.88. The company has a market capitalization of $92.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $125.27. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share 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%. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Duke Energy’s dividend 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.