World Equity Group Inc. Sells 437 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

World Equity Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 437 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $349,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. PBMares Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Kanawha Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $760,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,843,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 4.0% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned 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 $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of DUK opened at $115.58 on Monday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $89.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.00.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

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.