RMR Wealth Builders Has $1.68 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

RMR Wealth Builders lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,222 shares during the period. RMR Wealth Builders’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,680,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.18 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $110.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.23.

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.