Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC Decreases Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 44,983 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,322 shares during the quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,869,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $112.14 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $86.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced 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). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid 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 3.73%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.23.

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.