20,761 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Acquired by Marshall Investment Management LLC

Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 20,761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,394,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 76,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,810,000 after acquiring an additional 1,308 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 13,829.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,125,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $129,782,000 after acquiring an additional 1,117,526 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management increased its stake in Duke Energy by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,418 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,781 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 8,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,013,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 6,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $741,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $115.58 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.10 and a 200 day moving average of $113.01. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $89.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.