Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Argyle Capital Management Inc.

Argyle Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 17.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,224 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.4% of Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, PFS Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 145.0% in the 4th quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.62.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $1.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $97.71. The stock had a trading volume of 1,994,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,375,920. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $83.06 and a one year high of $100.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $75.38 billion, a PE ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $94.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy 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.