Private Wealth Partners LLC Sells 900 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Private Wealth Partners LLC lowered its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,082 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Private Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 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 buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $111.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $86.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company’s fifty day moving average is $109.88 and its 200 day moving average is $112.97.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Duke Energy Company 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.