Townsend & Associates Inc Cuts Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Townsend & Associates Inc lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,021 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 282 shares during the quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $115.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $89.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $110.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.01.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

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.