Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Sells 727 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 727 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up about 2.2% of Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,537,000. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 155.1% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,832,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138,979 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 116.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $222,520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brookfield Corp ON grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 112.6% in the third quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 1,002,811 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $115,624,000 after purchasing an additional 531,073 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.57.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

DUK stock opened at $115.26 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $111.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $89.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.