Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Hudock Inc.

Hudock Inc. cut its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 245 shares during the period. Hudock Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Consolidated Planning Corp grew its stake in Duke Energy by 26.1% during the 4th quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 2,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 240,094 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,868,000 after purchasing an additional 17,827 shares during the period. Retirement Guys Formula LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 741 shares during the period. Avion Wealth increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 264.0% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 586 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 597,573 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $64,430,000 after purchasing an additional 146,089 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $109.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.91.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.08.

About Duke Energy

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.