Argent Advisors Inc. Grows Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Argent Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Aspen Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Aspen Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 5,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $636,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 161,028 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $17,349,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $61,000. 1ST Source Bank lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 11,208 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,208,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 1,829 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE DUK opened at $120.88 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $113.15 and its 200 day moving average is $113.52. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.47. The stock has a market cap of $93.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.