Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Mission Wealth Management LP

Mission Wealth Management LP lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,995 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 384 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,831,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. 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 1 year low of $90.22 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $111.23 and a 200-day moving average of $113.16. The company has a market cap of $91.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.