Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by AMG National Trust Bank

AMG National Trust Bank reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 860 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth 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 period. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $116.78 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.25. The stock has a market cap of $90.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.