Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Acquires 6,705 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 104,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,705 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of DUK opened at $116.69 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $90.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $112.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Guggenheim upped their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.93.

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.