Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,300,000 shares, a drop of 8.7% from the December 31st total of 9,090,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on DUK. Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $1.22 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $113.21. 1,993,060 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,041,863. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $87.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.57.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,008,000 after buying an additional 16,356 shares in the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,032,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,941,000 after acquiring an additional 9,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,566,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

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.