Short Interest in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Decreases By 8.7%

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,300,000 shares, a decline of 8.7% from the December 15th total of 9,090,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $109.34. 2,928,344 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,915,086. 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 has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.88. The company 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.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 5.94 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays lifted 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. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.