L & S Advisors Inc Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

L & S Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 67.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,617 shares during the quarter. L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Bank raised its position in Duke Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 4,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 55.9% in the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 9,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after buying an additional 3,492 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 402,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,379,000 after buying an additional 6,527 shares in the last quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.0% during the third quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 6,868 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 125.9% in the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 48,384 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,579,000 after acquiring an additional 26,965 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $119.42 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $92.79 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $92.75 and a twelve month high of $121.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank increased their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

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.