Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC

Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC lessened its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 54.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,626 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 7,843 shares during the period. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.64.

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Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.86 on Thursday, hitting $120.17. 4,343,902 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,984,473. The company's fifty day moving average is $113.66 and its 200 day moving average is $113.61. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.47. The company has a market capitalization of $93.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.05, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.