Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC Decreases Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC lowered its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 49,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 90 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises approximately 3.4% of Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,362,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $117.50 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $90.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $111.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year 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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.