Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Zions Bancorporation N.A.

Zions Bancorporation N.A. lowered its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,568 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 37,644 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter worth $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 101.2% in the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.6 %

DUK stock traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $110.68. 3,630,598 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,061,627. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $88.27 and a one year high of $121.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $115.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.08.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on DUK. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $121.85.

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.