Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) is Founders Financial Alliance LLC’s 9th Largest Position

Founders Financial Alliance LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,349 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.6% of Founders Financial Alliance LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Founders Financial Alliance LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,845,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Miller Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $324,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 36,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,954,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its position in Duke Energy by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 10,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,120,000 after buying an additional 1,896 shares during the last quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $274,000. Finally, Davis R M Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on DUK. 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 note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.57.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock opened at $118.46 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $112.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.30. The company has a market capitalization of $91.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Duke Energy 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.