Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Position Lowered by Radnor Capital Management LLC

Radnor Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,503 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 86.5% during the 4th quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 148,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,021,000 after acquiring an additional 68,977 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 48.9% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 62,259 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,708,000 after buying an additional 20,442 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 155.1% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $201,832,000 after buying an additional 1,138,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,131 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,415,000 after acquiring an additional 3,305 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $82.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $110.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.87.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on DUK. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy 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.