Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. Raises Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,938 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.23.

Duke Energy Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $112.60 on Tuesday. 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 market cap of $86.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $110.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

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.