Leavell Investment Management Inc. Trims Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 40,878 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 512 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted 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 during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE DUK opened at $116.70 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $90.15 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $109.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.85. 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 quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

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.