Howard Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,849 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Howard Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 26.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,849 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,032,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after acquiring an additional 16,356 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,941,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,566,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $115.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $110.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

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.