Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Consolidated Planning Corp

Consolidated Planning Corp lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 10.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 258 shares during the period. Consolidated Planning Corp’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $592,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 11.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,308,000 after buying an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 23.2% during the first quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 4,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the period. BCGM Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 9.2% during the first quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,748 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $556,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. Finally, Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 4.5% during the first quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $113.23 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $86.61 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $87.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.73.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

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.