Tufton Capital Management Sells 2,229 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Tufton Capital Management cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,450 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,229 shares during the period. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. CKW Financial Group purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.17.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $94.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 358,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,971,729. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $94.00 and a 200 day moving average of $93.22. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $83.06 and a twelve month high of $100.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.94 billion, a PE ratio of 26.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.46.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The company had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.11 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Company 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.