Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Clarity Financial LLC

Clarity Financial LLC decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 16.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 151,548 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 29,958 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises approximately 2.0% of Clarity Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Clarity Financial LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $16,328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $112.28 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $86.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $110.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on 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. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.23.

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.