Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Position Lessened by Flaharty Asset Management LLC

Flaharty Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,146 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. Flaharty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $71,000. Finally, PFS Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 145.0% during the fourth quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of DUK traded up $1.08 on Monday, hitting $98.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 220,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,949,419. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.06 and a fifty-two week high of $100.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $94.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 9.78%. The company’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.11 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.