Gleason Group Inc. Sells 361 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Gleason Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 13.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,329 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 361 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $225,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. now owns 13,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 27,892 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after buying an additional 2,068 shares in the last quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 20,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,008,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Trust Co purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $216,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $99.93. 501,918 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,936,831. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $101.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.36. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $104.87.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $1.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.10%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $409.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.33.

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.