Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Sells 7,580 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 12.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,737 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,580 shares during the quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Dorato Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management grew its position in Duke Energy by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Capitol Sec Mgt cut Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.33.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $129.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $100.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.89 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.78.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.