Janiczek Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 29.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,750 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 717 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $169,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. 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. Operose Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 263.2% during the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 20.5% in the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 82,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,252,000 after buying an additional 13,991 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 27,060 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,388,000 after acquiring an additional 577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 338,885 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,910,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $100.62 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $83.06 and a 12 month high of $104.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $101.23 and a 200 day moving average of $97.38. The firm has a market cap of $77.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.28, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a dividend of $1.025 per share. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.07%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 103.02%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,253.03. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,253.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DUK. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.33.

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.