PSI Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

PSI Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 589 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $540,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 82.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $106.29 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $110.88 and its 200 day moving average is $111.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $82.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share 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 paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.