Horizon Investments LLC Buys 386 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 386 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $119.31 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $113.66 and its 200 day moving average is $113.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.64 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

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, 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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 upped their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.