Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC Increases Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.0% of Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI now owns 50,205 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,409,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the period. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,557 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,676,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 34,251 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,690,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,488,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $269,368,000 after acquiring an additional 561,784 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.78 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $90.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $111.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.25. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.