Armor Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Armor Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,548 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,101 shares during the quarter. Armor Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,675,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 65.5% in the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 13,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,485,000 after buying an additional 5,458 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 41,812 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,505,000 after purchasing an additional 5,898 shares during the last quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $295,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 380.4% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 41,931 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $115.50 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

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.