Principal Securities Inc. Has $4.32 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,050 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,258 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth 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. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Finally, Scotiabank lifted 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Six 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 has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $113.15. The company had a trading volume of 3,159,487 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,334,588. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.97.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.