Keel Point LLC Purchases 127 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Keel Point LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bcwm LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its position 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 worth $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $384,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $121.59 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $119.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.60. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.10 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised 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, March 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

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.