Colonial River Investments LLC Sells 156 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Colonial River Investments LLC lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 156 shares during the period. Colonial River Investments LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $268,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Scotiabank upped their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $115.86 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.03. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $89.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

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.