Successful Portfolios LLC Sells 478 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Successful Portfolios LLC trimmed its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,694 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 478 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy comprises approximately 1.4% of Successful Portfolios LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Successful Portfolios LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,001,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 233.1% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,523,000 after acquiring an additional 12,073 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 88,933 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,849,000 after purchasing an additional 20,762 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $233,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $2,074,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 17.7% during the third quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 21,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,866,000 after acquiring an additional 3,182 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $100.23 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $77.35 billion, a PE ratio of 25.18, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $104.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $101.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.44.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $1.025 per share. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at approximately $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Duke Energy news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at approximately $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815 in the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.