2,615 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Acquired by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,615 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,378,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 1,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim upped their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $117.10 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $90.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.47. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $114.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.68. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last issued its 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.