Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 2,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Novus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $537,000. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 15,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,695,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,666 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,903,000 after acquiring an additional 4,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 416.6% in the 4th quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 12,222 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,317,000 after purchasing an additional 9,856 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

DUK stock opened at $116.78 on Friday. 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 50-day moving average of $111.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.25. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $90.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim increased their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target 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. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

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.