Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Schnieders Capital Management LLC

Schnieders Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,544 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,934,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased 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 valued at $771,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 14,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Verum Partners LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 27,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,667,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $98.20. 2,148,786 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,006,441. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $94.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.60. The company has a market cap of $75.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.46. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $100.39.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays upped their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.