Retirement Guys Formula LLC Buys 741 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Retirement Guys Formula LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 741 shares during the period. Retirement Guys Formula LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avion Wealth grew its stake in Duke Energy by 264.0% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 586 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 597,573 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $64,430,000 after buying an additional 146,089 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 70.5% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 3,553 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 1,469 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $2,457,000. Finally, Atlas Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,582 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Scotiabank raised 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $116.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $90.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.45, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $109.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

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.