Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stock Holdings Lessened by City Holding Co.

City Holding Co. lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,284 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,578 shares during the quarter. City Holding Co.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.23.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $109.34. 2,928,344 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,915,086. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $110.47 and a 200 day moving average of $112.05. The firm has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.