Advisory Services Network LLC Acquires 10,809 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 19.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,809 shares during the quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bcwm LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the period. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $384,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $115.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $116.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.87.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.20.

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.