Harmony Asset Management LLC Sells 908 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Harmony Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,763 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 908 shares during the period. Harmony Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.00.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

DUK opened at $116.47 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $119.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.60. The company has a market capitalization of $90.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.21 and a 52 week high of $125.27. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

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.