Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC trimmed its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,373 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 525 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $115.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.00. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $89.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 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 (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.