Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Randolph Co Inc

Randolph Co Inc lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,647 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,331 shares during the quarter. Randolph Co Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,030,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on DUK. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $117.25 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.95. The company has a market cap of $91.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

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.