Schnieders Capital Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Schnieders Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,623 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,629 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,469,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341 shares in the last quarter. Convergence Financial LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Convergence Financial LLC now owns 11,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Nwam LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 5,270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $568,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp now owns 9,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $176,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $116.34 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market cap of $89.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.08. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

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.