Cooper Financial Group Buys 696 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Cooper Financial Group raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 696 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,099,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $106.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $82.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $110.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.83.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.23.

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.