Pullen Investment Management LLC Sells 477 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Pullen Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 12,370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 477 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,509,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $116.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $90.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $118.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.95.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.81.

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.