Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Sells 42,134 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board trimmed its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,251,527 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 42,134 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.16% of Duke Energy worth $121,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank cut their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Mizuho raised their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $409.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Duke Energy stock traded up $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $108.03. 2,270,522 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,489,480. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $83.06 and a 52-week high of $110.02. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $102.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.41.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.20 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

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.