Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Princeton Global Asset Management LLC

Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 37.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 740 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 449 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $90,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 68,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,461,000 after purchasing an additional 18,604 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 28.9% in the fourth quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 8,551 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917 shares during the last quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $261,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $11,086,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $115.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $118.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 3.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim increased their target price on 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 reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.81.

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.