Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Increased by Ninepoint Partners LP

Ninepoint Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 23.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,127 shares during the quarter. Ninepoint Partners LP’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $120.29 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $112.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.46. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted 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%. On average, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank lifted 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. 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 research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

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.