Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC Sells 226 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 226 shares during the quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $100.22. 3,898,632 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,951,670. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $83.06 and a 12 month high of $104.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $101.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.35 billion, a PE ratio of 25.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $1.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Duke Energy news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,057,253.03. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $409.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Company 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.