Snowden Capital Advisors LLC Sells 21,116 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 41.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 29,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 21,116 shares during the quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bcwm LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the period. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $384,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $116.27 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27. 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’s 50 day moving average is $119.29 and its 200 day moving average is $114.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Seven 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 company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.00.

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.