Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stake Lifted by Counterweight Ventures LLC

Counterweight Ventures LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 24,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 518 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy makes up about 1.8% of Counterweight Ventures LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Counterweight Ventures LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after acquiring an additional 16,356 shares during the period. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,032,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,941,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $1,566,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $115.01 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.