Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Boosted by Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 22.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,082 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bailard Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after buying an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $384,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,032,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $119.01 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $114.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.67. 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 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $121.47. The company has a market cap of $92.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank lifted 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

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.