Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,205 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 822 shares during the quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $116.78 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $111.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.25. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

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.