Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 229,516 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,946 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $24,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Down 2.0 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $111.69 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $86.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $109.85 and its 200-day moving average is $113.01. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. On average, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.08.

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.