First National Corp MA ADV Cuts Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

First National Corp MA ADV lessened its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 11,811 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 572 shares during the quarter. First National Corp MA ADV’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. CKW Financial Group purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $28,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $95.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $73.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.06 and a fifty-two week high of $100.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $94.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.88.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 16th were paid a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.28%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 115.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DUK. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $96.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.