Regal Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Regal Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,147 shares during the quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $120.48 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market cap of $93.62 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $117.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.92. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

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.