Fiduciary Alliance LLC Purchases 8,853 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 132.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,541 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 8,853 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.63 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $106.77. 2,865,669 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,995,091. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $110.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.23.

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.