Thrive Wealth Management LLC Trims Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Thrive Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,678 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 535 shares during the period. Thrive Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $839,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 14,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Verum Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 27,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,667,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of DUK stock traded down $0.29 on Friday, reaching $100.30. 109,591 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,921,113. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $101.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.38. The company has a market capitalization of $77.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.78. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $104.87.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $1.025 dividend. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,253.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.