Colonial Trust Advisors Sells 3,752 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Colonial Trust Advisors lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 125,611 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,752 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for 1.2% of Colonial Trust Advisors’ holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Colonial Trust Advisors’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $13,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,885,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,852,731,000 after acquiring an additional 779,054 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,949,857,000 after acquiring an additional 124,863 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,930,833,000 after acquiring an additional 385,612 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,562,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $922,529,000 after acquiring an additional 135,665 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,205,479 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $345,358,000 after buying an additional 90,552 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $116.40 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $125.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $90.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $116.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.88.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on DUK. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.20.

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.