First Bank & Trust Sells 3,708 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

First Bank & Trust lessened its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,708 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up 0.8% of First Bank & Trust’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 27.4% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,002 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 3,656 shares in the last quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $277,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.9% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,279,000 after acquiring an additional 4,728 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $609,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $111.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $86.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.97.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

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.