Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Alley Investment Management Company LLC

Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 36.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,414 shares during the quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Scotiabank upped their price target 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 upped their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of DUK opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.22 and a one year high of $121.25. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $111.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.16.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend 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.