Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC Purchases 182 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,861 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.0% of Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $317,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 5,379 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC now owns 19,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,211,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $115.86 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $89.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $110.27 and a 200 day moving average of $113.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date 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.