Fiduciary Financial Group LLC Takes $291,000 Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Fiduciary Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $291,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $82.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $110.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.23.

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.