Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Keene & Associates Inc.

Keene & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up 2.9% of Keene & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Keene & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 45,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,913,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares in the last quarter. Pegasus Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Pegasus Asset Management Inc. now owns 34,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,723,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 7,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $831,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Joel Adams & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $268,000. Finally, Plan Group Financial LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC now owns 9,104 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $981,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $110.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $85.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. 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 fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $109.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.98.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

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.