Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Norden Group LLC

Norden Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 34,792 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,012,000 after acquiring an additional 3,208 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 6,053 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $698,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,672 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $539,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares during the period. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $222,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $117.50 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $90.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.58, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank lifted 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.