Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Norden Group LLC

Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the quarter. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% in 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. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of DUK opened at $117.50 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $90.77 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $111.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.13.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Duke Energy Company 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.