Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Montag A & Associates Inc.

Montag A & Associates Inc. reduced its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 28,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,329 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,239,000. CapWealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 188,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,259,000 after buying an additional 1,903 shares in the last quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 62,808 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,767,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 62.2% in the fourth quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 5,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,959 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BXM Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $387,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Trading Down 2.0 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $111.69 on Monday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.98. The company has a market capitalization of $86.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 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.