Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC Takes $61,000 Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 563 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $61,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. United Bank grew its position in Duke Energy by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 4,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,914,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,678,000. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 302.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 36,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,205,000 after buying an additional 27,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $120.88 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $121.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 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%. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on 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 increased their price target on 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.93.

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.