Abacus Planning Group Inc. Purchases 362 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Abacus Planning Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,967 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 362 shares during the quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $111.78 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $86.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $109.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Scotiabank raised their price objective 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.