Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC

KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 2,705 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at $2,888,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,008,000 after purchasing an additional 16,356 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 59.2% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 23,388 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,697,000 after purchasing an additional 8,699 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,488,176 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,016,846,000 after buying an additional 442,302 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 86.5% during the fourth quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 148,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $16,021,000 after buying an additional 68,977 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of DUK traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $109.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,766,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,940,227. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company has a market capitalization of $84.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The company's fifty day moving average price is $110.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.83.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 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 given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DUK. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.