SWS Partners Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

SWS Partners grew its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the quarter. SWS Partners’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 6,053 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $698,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 56.0% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 12,538 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,446,000 after acquiring an additional 4,500 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 44.4% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.0% in the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 19,005 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,191,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $111.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.16. The company has a market capitalization of $91.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.22 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank lifted 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut 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 note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

About Duke Energy

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.