Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Verus Capital Partners LLC

Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,916 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 162 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $314,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Linscomb Wealth Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 88,911 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,579,000 after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 183,192 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $19,737,000 after purchasing an additional 50,630 shares in the last quarter. McGrath & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $758,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $282,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 94,713 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,204,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.4 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $117.50 on Friday. 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 quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $90.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.58, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.13.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 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, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

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.