Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by American Money Management LLC

American Money Management LLC decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,556 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 355 shares during the period. American Money Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $275,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on 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 boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $119.42 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $115.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.70. The company has a market capitalization of $92.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (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%. 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 was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

About Duke Energy

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.