Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stock Position Raised by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,784 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,360 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $13,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.69 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $112.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank increased their price objective on 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 increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.93.

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.