CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC Has $41.26 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 66.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 381,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 151,914 shares during the quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $41,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bailard Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after buying an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $384,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,032,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $119.42 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank lifted 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.