Hendershot Investments Inc. Sells 255 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Hendershot Investments Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 255 shares during the quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $115.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $109.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 3.63%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on 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. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

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.