Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 17.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 576 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Down 4.1 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $118.91 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.