Principal Street Partners LLC Has $5.94 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Principal Street Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 23.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,668 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 15,448 shares during the quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $115.00 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $115.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $109.88. The company has a market cap of $88.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders 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 3.63%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.69.

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.