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

RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,909 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $120.44 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $122.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $93.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $115.86 and a 200-day moving average of $113.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

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.