Bison Wealth LLC Cuts Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Bison Wealth LLC trimmed its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 31.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,101 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 8,762 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $173,000. Invst LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.4% during the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $2,012,000. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.7% during the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,349 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,677,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Co. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 2,701 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $311,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK traded up $0.26 on Friday, hitting $121.59. 2,720,048 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,383,035. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.10 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $119.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 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 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.