IFP Advisors Inc Cuts Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

IFP Advisors Inc lessened its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,166 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC now owns 19,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,211,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted 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 valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 815 shares during the last quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $274,000. Finally, Summit Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Asset Management LLC now owns 3,955 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target 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, 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 note on Friday, November 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

DUK opened at $117.29 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $110.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.06. The company has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. 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, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

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.