Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. Increases Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,931 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,093 shares during the quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,518,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several recent research reports. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of 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. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $115.01 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.76. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $88.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results 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). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

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.