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

Venturi Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 667 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $111.78 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.97. The company has a market cap of $86.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 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.