Moors & Cabot Inc. Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 51,252 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,808 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,522,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Bailard Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $384,000. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,032,000. Finally, CCM Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after purchasing an additional 16,356 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.76 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $92.75 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market capitalization of $91.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.34.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six equities 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.93.

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.