Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 430,412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,408 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $41,625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on DUK shares. Mizuho increased their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Bank of America upped their price target 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 upped 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. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.33.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

Duke Energy stock traded up $1.63 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $102.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,506,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,902,330. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $104.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $101.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $7.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was 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 $7,057,253.03. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.14% 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.