RMR Wealth Builders Has $1.68 Million Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

RMR Wealth Builders lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the quarter. RMR Wealth Builders’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK traded down $2.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $105.93. 2,998,145 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,114,850. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $111.14 and a 200-day moving average of $111.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $81.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.95%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Scotiabank increased 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.