First PREMIER Bank Lowers Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

First PREMIER Bank reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,570 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 505 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up 1.7% of First PREMIER Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. First PREMIER Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Wendell David Associates Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. now owns 5,240 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 5,597 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $593,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 38,948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,196,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 8,369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $902,000 after buying an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co raised its position in Duke Energy by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 1,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $108.86 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $84.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company’s 50 day moving average is $110.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.