Flputnam Investment Management Co. Buys 129 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,032,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after buying an additional 16,356 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,941,000 after acquiring an additional 9,070 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,566,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.22 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $111.23 and a 200-day moving average of $113.16. The company has a market capitalization of $91.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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 issued 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 payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank raised their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

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.