Saxony Capital Management LLC Sells 694 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Saxony Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 14.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,193 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 694 shares during the quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $452,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

DUK opened at $112.28 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $110.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.44. The company has a market cap of $86.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.72%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.