Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC

Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,554 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 268 shares during the period. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $771,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Chemung Canal Trust Co. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 14,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Verum Partners LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 27,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,667,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.94 on Monday, reaching $98.65. 631,390 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,954,571. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $83.06 and a twelve month high of $100.13. The company has a fifty day moving average of $94.84 and a 200-day moving average of $93.80. The company has a market capitalization of $76.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.79, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 9.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised shares of Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $100.62.

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.