Certuity LLC Purchases 770 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Certuity LLC raised its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 29.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 770 shares during the quarter. Certuity LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price 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. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.26 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $109.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.91.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Duke Energy 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.