Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stock Position Lifted by Alley Investment Management Company LLC

Alley Investment Management Company LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 36.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 76,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,414 shares during the quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.0% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,378,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 19,005 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,191,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.0 %

DUK stock opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.22 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $91.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price 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 cut their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

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.