M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,385 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $109.34. 2,928,344 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,915,086. The company has a 50 day moving average of $110.47 and a 200-day moving average of $112.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays upped their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.