Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 225 shares during the period. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $110.73 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $110.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.12. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $85.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.35, a PEG 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.77%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.