Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC Reduces Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,770 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 777 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up 1.6% of Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of DUK stock traded down $1.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $97.71. 1,994,792 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,375,920. The stock has a market cap of $75.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $94.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.74. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $83.06 and a 52-week high of $100.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.99 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Evercore ISI upgraded Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.62.

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.