Princeton Global Asset Management LLC Sells 215 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,189 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 215 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 6.9% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 157,244 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $18,130,000 after purchasing an additional 10,177 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 35.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,857 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,137,000 after purchasing an additional 2,605 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,131 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $822,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $217,000. Finally, Salvus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $233,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $113.21 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $87.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $110.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

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.