Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. Sells 1,088 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,273 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,088 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy makes up 1.3% of Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $1.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $111.89. 2,136,512 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,957,045. The stock has a market cap of $86.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $106.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.80. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $116.67. 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.85.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.