Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Position Trimmed by First Dallas Securities Inc.

First Dallas Securities Inc. reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,908 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 924 shares during the period. First Dallas Securities Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sachetta LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.69.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $111.88 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.57, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $114.86 and a 200-day moving average of $110.71.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

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.