Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Acquires Shares of 102,900 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 102,900 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $11,086,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Planning lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 9.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 304,434 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,101,000 after purchasing an additional 25,937 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in Duke Energy by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 98,182 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $11,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares during the last quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $216,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,137 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $823,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $260,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.89 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $111.78. The stock had a trading volume of 3,860,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,340,063. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.98. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given 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 3.74%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective 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. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.08.

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.