Courier Capital LLC Trims Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Courier Capital LLC cut its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,404 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 193 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,660,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $106.29. The company had a trading volume of 2,387,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,009,373. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $111.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.23.

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.