Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. Sells 218 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 218 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 75,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,101,000 after acquiring an additional 2,601 shares during the last quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 138,908 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,966,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 16,683 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,797,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 58.2% during the fourth quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 5,057 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $545,000 after buying an additional 1,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $220,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $82.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $110.73 and its 200 day moving average is $111.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.23.

Duke Energy Company 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.