Cozad Asset Management Inc. Sells 427 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 427 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Sachetta LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $113.23 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $86.61 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $87.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $115.84 and its 200-day moving average is $108.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.98%.

About Duke Energy

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.