Jones Financial Companies Lllp Purchases 155,732 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 43.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 511,521 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 155,732 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp owned 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $55,111,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $760,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 4th 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $117.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $90.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.58, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.13. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last issued its 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.62.

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.