Guardian Investment Management Cuts Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Guardian Investment Management lessened its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,089 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 260 shares during the quarter. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LVW Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 18,708 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,016,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,324,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 5,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $625,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Ballast Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 15,839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,706,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 280,920 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE DUK opened at $109.34 on Monday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $110.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.97. The stock has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.