Successful Portfolios LLC Reduces Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Successful Portfolios LLC lowered its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 20,694 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 478 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for about 1.4% of Successful Portfolios LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Successful Portfolios LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,001,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LVW Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 71.6% during the 1st quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 15,506 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after acquiring an additional 6,470 shares during the period. Breakwater Capital Group raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 2,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Trilogy Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 118.5% during the 1st quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. now owns 5,753 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $556,000 after purchasing an additional 3,120 shares in the last quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,323,000 after purchasing an additional 3,029 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 38.7% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 20,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,975,000 after buying an additional 5,701 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

DUK stock opened at $100.23 on Monday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $83.06 and a one year high of $104.87. The company has a market capitalization of $77.35 billion, a PE ratio of 25.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $101.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th were given a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 103.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total transaction of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,057,253.03. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,057,253.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.33.

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.