Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Hexagon Capital Partners LLC

Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lowered its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,332 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 228 shares during the quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $806,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Claro Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the first quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 12,581 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in Duke Energy by 41.3% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 8,092 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $783,000 after buying an additional 2,367 shares during the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 16.8% during the first quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 17,750 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 2,552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chapin Davis Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.8% in the first quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 7,675 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $742,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho upped their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.33.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.88 during trading on Monday, hitting $99.35. 2,097,621 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,944,838. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.02, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $83.06 and a one year high of $104.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $101.37 and its 200-day moving average is $97.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.31 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a dividend of $1.025 per share. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

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.