Founders Financial Alliance LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Founders Financial Alliance LLC decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,349 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.6% of Founders Financial Alliance LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Founders Financial Alliance LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,845,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,537,000. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 155.1% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,832,000 after buying an additional 1,138,979 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 116.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $222,520,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,581 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,488,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $269,368,000 after acquiring an additional 561,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

DUK stock opened at $118.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.30.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

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.