Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,757 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,183,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bcwm LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $9,815,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 212.8% in the fourth quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 79,989 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,618,000 after acquiring an additional 54,413 shares in the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 338.6% in the first quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 29,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 7.7% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,575,000 after purchasing an additional 20,942 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $115.88 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $117.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $100.30 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $90.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on DUK. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.88.

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.