SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Takes $705,000 Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 6,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $705,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Kanawha Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.0% in the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 19,005 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,191,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.22 and a one year high of $121.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $111.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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 boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.