Blue Trust Inc. Buys 13,013 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 62.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,877 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 13,013 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

DUK stock traded up $0.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $111.78. 3,860,545 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,340,063. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $109.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.98. The firm has a market cap of $86.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank raised 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.08.

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.