Royal Fund Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Royal Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 593 shares during the quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 14.8% during the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 15,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,522,000 after buying an additional 1,958 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 17.4% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 40,171 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,026,000 after purchasing an additional 5,957 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 39.6% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 7,606 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 2,156 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.0% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 112,051 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,231,000 after purchasing an additional 10,162 shares during the period. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 160,042.9% in the 2nd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 11,210 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,124,000 after acquiring an additional 11,203 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $109.34 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $110.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.23.

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.