Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 87.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,634 shares during the quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $28,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 21.7% in the second quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 6,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 34.9% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 2,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 10,799 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,082,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the period. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 135,476 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,579,000 after acquiring an additional 4,145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Williams Financial LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $593,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE DUK opened at $108.81 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $114.38 and its 200 day moving average is $110.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six equities research 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.