MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Sells 6,346 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 29.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,250 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,346 shares during the quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of DUK stock traded up $2.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $117.61. The company had a trading volume of 8,077,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,461,048. The firm has a market cap of $91.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $118.76 and a 200 day moving average of $114.77. 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 $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

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.