NewSquare Capital LLC Cuts Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

NewSquare Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 344 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,086,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 42.4% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 10,907 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after purchasing an additional 3,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,476,000 after buying an additional 7,653 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $115.22 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $118.43 and a 200-day moving average of $114.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 target price (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.81.

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.