Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by OneAscent Wealth Management LLC

OneAscent Wealth Management LLC cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,968 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 803 shares during the quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $320,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 88,099 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,492,000 after buying an additional 1,741 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $2,486,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,606 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,513,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 153,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,513,000 after purchasing an additional 1,941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 143.3% in the 4th quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 888,309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $95,706,000 after buying an additional 523,251 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $119.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $92.79 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $115.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.72. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts forecast 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 was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 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.