Vision Financial Markets LLC Takes $150,000 Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $150,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $115.26 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $111.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.21. The stock has a market cap of $89.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped 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 research report on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.