Weatherly Asset Management L. P. Sells 198 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK – Get Rating) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,841 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 198 shares during the quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 124.8% during the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Clear Perspectives Financial Planning LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 1,138.5% during the third quarter. Clear Perspectives Financial Planning LLC now owns 322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 63.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, SVP Louis E. Renjel sold 1,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.90, for a total value of $189,810.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $995,703.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $96.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $74.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.03, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.42. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.76 and a 1-year high of $116.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 8.45%. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 17th were issued a $1.005 dividend. This represents a $4.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 121.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $103.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.64.

Duke Energy Profile

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Duke Energy Corp. engages in the distribution of natural gas and energy related services. It operates through the following segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities & Infrastructure and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment conducts operations in regulated electric utilities in the Carolinas, Florida and the Midwest.