Interchange Capital Partners LLC Has $295,000 Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Interchange Capital Partners LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,743 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 216 shares during the period. Interchange Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $295,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $384,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,032,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $118.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $114.39 and a 200-day moving average of $113.66. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.