Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by GTS Securities LLC

GTS Securities LLC cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 94.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,695 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 73,196 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of DUK traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $115.36. 2,292,824 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,436,951. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's fifty day moving average is $118.78 and its 200-day moving average is $114.71. 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 data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $1.045 dividend. 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 3.62%. 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.