Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc

Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 9.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,062 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,032,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after acquiring an additional 16,356 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,941,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,566,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

DUK opened at $117.29 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank raised their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.