Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Acquires 1,082 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 22.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $119.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $114.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $121.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.