AMG National Trust Bank Lowers Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

AMG National Trust Bank lessened its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 31.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 18,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 8,300 shares during the quarter. AMG National Trust Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,111,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased 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 purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $113.57 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $88.27 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.88, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.43. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

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.