Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Clayton Financial Group LLC

Clayton Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 146 shares during the quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $112.46 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $109.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $86.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

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.