Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Regal Investment Advisors LLC

Regal Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 31,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,147 shares during the period. Regal Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $120.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The business’s 50 day moving average is $117.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.