Federated Hermes Inc. Sells 535,390 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Federated Hermes Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,768,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 535,390 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises approximately 1.4% of Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $559,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 69,586 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,753,000 after purchasing an additional 5,127 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 8,665 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $841,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,206,000. Sfmg LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, TRUE Private Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Duke Energy by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE DUK traded up $0.05 during trading on Thursday, reaching $94.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 358,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,971,729. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.94 billion, a PE ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $94.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.22. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $100.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The business had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.17.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.