Sunpointe LLC Boosts Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sunpointe LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the quarter. Sunpointe LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

DUK opened at $111.78 on Thursday. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $86.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $109.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.97.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

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.