Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC Sells 371 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,673 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 371 shares during the quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC now owns 19,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,211,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 16,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $274,000. Finally, Summit Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Asset Management LLC now owns 3,955 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $115.58 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $89.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.00. 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 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

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.