Sandy Spring Bank Has $737,000 Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sandy Spring Bank decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,838 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 916 shares during the quarter. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

DUK opened at $119.01 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $114.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.69.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

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.