Nwam LLC Has $568,000 Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Nwam LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the quarter. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 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 increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently 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 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $111.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

About Duke Energy

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.