Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys New Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,615 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

DUK stock opened at $117.10 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $114.79 and a 200-day moving average of $113.68. The company has a market cap of $90.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.51, a PEG 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. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy 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.