Oak Harvest Investment Services Reduces Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Oak Harvest Investment Services lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 47.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,346 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 53,989 shares during the period. Oak Harvest Investment Services’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Century Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at $216,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $12,749,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,302 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $531,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $215,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

DUK stock opened at $112.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $110.14 and a 200 day moving average of $112.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut 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 research note on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.23.

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.