Financial Counselors Inc. Has $17.14 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Financial Counselors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 159,070 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 941 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $17,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $116.10 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $114.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.65. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

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.