Haverford Trust Co Sells 3,071 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Haverford Trust Co reduced its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,071 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on DUK shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $118.12 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $114.39 and its 200 day moving average is $113.66. The stock has a market cap of $91.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

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.