Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $4.47 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,504 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,201 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,472,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. United Bank raised its position in Duke Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 4,764 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,914,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 93,008 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,724,000 after buying an additional 8,308 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 10,537 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,215,000 after acquiring an additional 2,115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $83,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock traded down $2.05 on Tuesday, hitting $116.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,551,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,999,686. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $114.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.66. The firm has a market cap of $90.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $121.47. 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 (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 3.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on DUK. UBS Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.87.

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.