Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $113.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.97. The firm has a market cap of $87.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.