Capital Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 57,541 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. City State Bank lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 132.4% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 15,541 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,674,000 after purchasing an additional 8,853 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 62.0% during the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 1,448 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its stake in Duke Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 167,490 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $18,045,000 after buying an additional 10,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Graypoint LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 5,151 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK traded down $0.43 on Monday, reaching $105.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 616,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,744,388. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $111.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.23.

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.