Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Catalina Capital Group LLC

Catalina Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 9.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,829 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $113.21 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

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.