Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stake Increased by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,852 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 946 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $116.69 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $90.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $112.40 and a 200-day moving average of $113.36. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on DUK shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

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.