Commonwealth Financial Services LLC Boosts Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Commonwealth Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,337 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased 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 buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $113.21 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.57. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $87.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on 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. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.