Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Principal Street Partners LLC

Principal Street Partners LLC trimmed its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,668 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 15,448 shares during the quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 4,061 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Covington Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Covington Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 49,688 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,729,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 218,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,201,000 after buying an additional 2,550 shares in the last quarter. Capital Square LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 9,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,091,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 14.7% in the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 2,683 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $2.05 on Tuesday, reaching $117.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,850,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,073,706. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.42 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $115.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.88.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.69.

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.