Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,474 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 127 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.1% of Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank upped their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.78 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $111.81 and its 200-day moving average is $113.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.