Sawyer & Company Inc Sells 2,275 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sawyer & Company Inc trimmed its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,275 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $961,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 82.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $82.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $110.73 and its 200 day moving average is $111.87. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

Duke Energy Company 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.