Clearwater Capital Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Clearwater Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 113 shares during the period. Clearwater Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank boosted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $120.29 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $112.86 and its 200 day moving average is $113.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market cap of $93.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

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.