Simplicity Wealth LLC Raises Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 36.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,774 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 740 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $299,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bailard Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after buying an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $384,000. Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $1,032,000. Finally, CCM Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,008,000 after acquiring an additional 16,356 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $118.46 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $91.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.30.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.57.

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.