McGrath & Associates Inc. Invests $758,000 in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

McGrath & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $758,000. Duke Energy comprises 1.5% of McGrath & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $282,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 94,713 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,204,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 183,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $19,818,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484 shares during the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 9,030 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 303,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,710,000 after acquiring an additional 4,100 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $116.34 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $110.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

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.