Centurion Wealth Management LLC Sells 97 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Centurion Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,904 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Centurion Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,537,000. Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in Duke Energy by 155.1% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $201,832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138,979 shares in the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 116.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $222,520,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Duke Energy by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,488,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $269,368,000 after acquiring an additional 561,784 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $120.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $112.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.46. The stock has a market cap of $93.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

About Duke Energy

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.