Aspen Investment Management Inc Cuts Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Aspen Investment Management Inc cut its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 179 shares during the quarter. Aspen Investment Management Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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 upped their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $113.15 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $87.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $109.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. 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.