HUB Investment Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

HUB Investment Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,974 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 117 shares during the quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

DUK opened at $120.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.64.

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.