Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV

Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,346 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.3% of Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $384,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $150,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 14,375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,549,000 after buying an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 222,639 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $23,987,000 after purchasing an additional 1,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 17,919 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,931,000 after acquiring an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of 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. Scotiabank boosted their target price 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. Finally, Guggenheim boosted 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.57.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $115.26 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $89.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $111.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.21.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 3.63%. 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.