CENTRAL TRUST Co Lowers Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

CENTRAL TRUST Co lessened its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,263 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,002 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.3% during the first quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 3,390 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Breakwater Capital Group boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 2,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 14,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total transaction of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,253.03. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at approximately $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,057,253.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on DUK. Evercore ISI raised Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $108.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank cut their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $101.85.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded down $0.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $103.44. 3,023,075 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,017,859. The company has a market cap of $79.83 billion, a PE ratio of 25.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $83.06 and a 52-week high of $104.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $98.08 and a 200 day moving average of $95.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.20 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.96%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Duke Energy Company 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.