Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 68,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,253 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $71,000. PFS Partners LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $71,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 263.2% in the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 629 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of DUK traded up $1.84 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $102.26. The company had a trading volume of 3,801,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,018,786. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $102.36. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.37. The stock has a market cap of $78.89 billion, a PE ratio of 28.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 9.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI raised Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.62.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.