Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Position Reduced by Aviance Capital Partners LLC

Aviance Capital Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 64.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,025 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,894 shares during the quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $116.78 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $111.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given 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 dividend yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DUK. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.57.

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.