Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Bank OZK

Bank OZK trimmed its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 11,840 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 723 shares during the period. Bank OZK’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,232,000. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 4,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors now owns 12,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,307,000 after buying an additional 3,425 shares during the last quarter. Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 68.5% during the 4th quarter. Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. now owns 3,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 1,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 15,931 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,716,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $90.77 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $111.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.13. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.