Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 1,531 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Yousif Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,531 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $12,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $113.88 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $87.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $109.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $112.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on DUK shares. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Scotiabank upped their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

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.