Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Janney Capital Management LLC

Janney Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 93,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,994 shares during the period. Janney Capital Management LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, 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 note on Thursday, April 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.75.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Duke Energy stock opened at $114.50 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $118.07 and its 200-day moving average is $114.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $88.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.99, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.37.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Duke Energy Company 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.

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