Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Purchases 93 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $115.01 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.72. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $88.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. 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 earnings results 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 company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on DUK. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.08.

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.