Wright Investors Service Inc. Reduces Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Wright Investors Service Inc. cut its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 67.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,248 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 8,898 shares during the quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $458,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 82.7% during the third quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.63 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $106.77. 2,866,169 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,995,096. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $110.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.83. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $82.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.91%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.