Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Purchases 815 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 815 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $117.29 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $110.46 and a 200-day moving average of $113.06. The company has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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 boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.62.

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.