Northcape Wealth Management LLC Trims Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Northcape Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 102 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $110.85 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $85.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $109.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.77%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Scotiabank raised their target price 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

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.