Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 24.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 132,768 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 26,237 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $14,304,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms recently commented on DUK. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on DUK
Duke Energy Price Performance
Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.88 during trading on Monday, reaching $120.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,801,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,381,183. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.53. The company has a market capitalization of $93.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27.
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.
Duke Energy Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.
About Duke Energy
(
Free Report)
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.
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