Verity & Verity LLC Purchases Shares of 5,716 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Verity & Verity LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,716 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $616,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $109.34. The company had a trading volume of 2,928,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,915,086. The firm has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. The company's 50-day moving average price is $110.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.97. 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 Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one 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 (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 the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on DUK shares. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank raised 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. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy 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.