Janney Capital Management LLC Has $10.59 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Janney Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 98,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,725 shares during the period. Janney Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $10,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

DUK opened at $110.01 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $110.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.19. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $84.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.23.

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.