Diversified Trust Co Acquires 688 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 688 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 82.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $108.30 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $111.59. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $83.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 3.86%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.