Sawgrass Asset Management LLC Has $353,000 Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sawgrass Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 151 shares during the quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $113.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $87.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.93.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.08.

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.