O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 15,461 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 18.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 69,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 15,461 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Duke Energy news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,057,253.03. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Scotiabank cut their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. KeyCorp upped their price target on Duke Energy from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.58.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK traded up $1.50 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $108.62. 1,792,826 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,891,127. The stock has a market cap of $83.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $83.06 and a one year high of $108.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $102.51 and a 200-day moving average of $98.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion for 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%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.85%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

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.