StoneX Group Inc. Has $1.69 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

StoneX Group Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,668 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bcwm LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $384,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $121.08 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $122.50. The stock has a market cap of $94.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $115.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.75. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.