Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bailard Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after buying an additional 3,139 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares during the period. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,032,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 16,356 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,941,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $116.78 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $90.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $111.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.57.

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.