Sowell Financial Services LLC Reduces Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sowell Financial Services LLC reduced its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,151 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,114 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,464,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 45,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,886,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI now owns 50,205 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,409,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the period. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,557 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,676,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 34,251 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,690,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.57.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $116.78 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $90.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $111.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.26. 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 twelve month low of $92.75 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. 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.