2,909 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Bought by RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC

RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,909 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $287,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 69.0% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 11,159 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,202,000 after buying an additional 4,557 shares during the period. Lokken Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Diametric Capital LP purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,930,833,000 after acquiring an additional 385,612 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $120.44 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $115.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.80. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $122.50. The company has a market capitalization of $93.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.