Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Occidental Asset Management LLC

Occidental Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,965 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,480 shares during the period. Occidental Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,983,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $109.05 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. 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 cap of $84.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.83.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

About Duke Energy

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.