3,588 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Acquired by BXM Wealth LLC

BXM Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,588 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $387,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. WASHINGTON TRUST Co raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 7,037 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 62.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 33,877 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,650,000 after acquiring an additional 13,013 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $369,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in Duke Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 41,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,524,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE DUK traded up $0.89 on Wednesday, hitting $111.78. 3,860,545 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,340,063. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $109.84 and a 200 day moving average of $112.98. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $86.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.08.

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.