Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stake Boosted by Strategy Asset Managers LLC

Strategy Asset Managers LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 390 shares during the quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 270 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

DUK opened at $119.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $92.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $115.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.72. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $92.75 and a twelve month high of $121.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its 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%. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

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.