Signaturefd LLC Boosts Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. United Bank raised its position in Duke Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 4,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,914,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $1,678,000. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. increased its position in Duke Energy by 302.0% during the third quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 36,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,205,000 after acquiring an additional 27,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.7% in the third quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of 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 reduced their price target 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. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.93.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $120.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.52. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $121.47. The firm has a market cap of $93.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Duke Energy Company 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.