Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Boosted by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 48.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 62,259 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,442 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,708,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.23.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

DUK opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $110.73 and a 200-day moving average of $111.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

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.