Walter Public Investments Inc. Has $323,000 Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Walter Public Investments Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 25.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $323,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Heritage Investors Management Corp grew its position in Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp now owns 9,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $989,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $176,000. Simmons Bank grew its position in Duke Energy by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 33,761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,637,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc grew its position in Duke Energy by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 2,062 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its position in Duke Energy by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,866,763 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,125,000 after acquiring an additional 86,378 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.34 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $89.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, 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. The business’s 50-day moving average is $110.67 and its 200-day moving average is $113.08. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank upped their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.