Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,918 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,916 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Linscomb Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 88,911 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,579,000 after acquiring an additional 2,390 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 183,192 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $19,737,000 after acquiring an additional 50,630 shares during the period. McGrath & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $758,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $282,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank increased 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 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.03 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $110.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.10. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $89.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results 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, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Duke Energy Company 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.