Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Decreased by Asset Dedication LLC

Asset Dedication LLC reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 79.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,380 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,387 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. PBMares Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 1,944 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 10,163 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,172,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:DUK traded down $0.61 on Friday, reaching $111.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,530,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,994,487. The firm has a market cap of $86.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $110.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank increased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.23.

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.