3,574 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Acquired by Cannell & Spears LLC

Cannell & Spears LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,574 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank lifted their target price 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. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $121.08 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $94.08 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $122.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

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.