Schechter Investment Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 165 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in 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 period. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE DUK opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.22 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.16.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of 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 price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

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.