Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by Heritage Investors Management Corp

Heritage Investors Management Corp grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares during the quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $989,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,032,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,008,000 after acquiring an additional 16,356 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,941,000 after acquiring an additional 9,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,566,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.03 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $110.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share 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 predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

Duke Energy 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.