Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 27,837 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 66.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,529 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 27,837 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Intergy Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $779,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 2,624 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $121.59 on Monday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $119.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.53. The stock has a market cap of $94.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Duke Energy Company 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.

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