Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. Has $4.21 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 302.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 36,473 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 27,399 shares during the quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $113.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,917,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,060,359. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $88.27 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $87.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $115.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.33.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

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.