Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $4.79 Million Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,479 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,206 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. United Bank boosted its position in Duke Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 4,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,211 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,408,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Duke Energy by 31.0% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management boosted its position in Duke Energy by 83.2% during the third quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 2,588 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,175 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $118.46 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $112.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.30. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $91.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank upped their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

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.