Smith Thornton Advisors LLC Acquires 869 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Smith Thornton Advisors LLC raised its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 14.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,732 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 869 shares during the period. Smith Thornton Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $725,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $110.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $82.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on 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. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

Duke Energy 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.