Centiva Capital LP Decreases Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Centiva Capital LP lowered its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 70.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,750 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 13,863 shares during the quarter. Centiva Capital LP’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $620,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.00.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $120.31 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27. 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 $93.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $119.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.64.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

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.