Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 18.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,886 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,749 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PBMares Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Castleview Partners LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 1,944 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 10,163 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,172,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DUK. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded up $1.36 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $113.15. The company had a trading volume of 3,159,487 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,334,588. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $109.88 and a 200-day moving average of $112.97. The company has a market capitalization of $87.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

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 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.