Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Has $1.12 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 22.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,896 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,120,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $116.69 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $112.40 and its 200 day moving average is $113.36.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.93.

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.