Empower Advisory Group LLC Acquires 33,926 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,158,815 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 33,926 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Duke Energy worth $124,851,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,032,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,008,000 after buying an additional 16,356 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,941,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,566,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $113.15. 3,159,487 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,334,588. The stock has a market cap of $87.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $109.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.97.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.08.

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.