Hennessy Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,387 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,100 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $12,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the 4th 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. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $109.34. 2,928,344 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,915,086. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $110.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 EPS for the current 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 $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.82%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on DUK. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.