Sabal Trust CO Sells 2,931 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sabal Trust CO cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 224,653 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,931 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up about 1.4% of Sabal Trust CO’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $24,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. PBMares Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Private Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.0% in the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $117.29 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $110.46 and a 200 day moving average of $113.06. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

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.