Argyle Capital Management LLC Has $3.32 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Argyle Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 30,814 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.3% of Argyle Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Argyle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank boosted 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE DUK opened at $116.03 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.