Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 78.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,606 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,445 shares during the quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.11 on Monday, hitting $113.12. 1,419,679 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,055,483. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $86.61 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $115.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $87.35 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47.

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). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.