Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Buys 21,587 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 192,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,587 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $20,753,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. one8zero8 LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,021,000. Choate Investment Advisors bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $537,000. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 709,944 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $76,489,000 after acquiring an additional 24,269 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 8,342 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $899,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Group Corp bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $575,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $120.29 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $112.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.46. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market cap of $93.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.93.

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.