Front Row Advisors LLC Has $357,000 Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Front Row Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,310 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 99 shares during the period. Front Row Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Bank boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 173,616.7% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 41,692 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,807,000 after acquiring an additional 41,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% during the third quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 45,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,215,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $122.07 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $122.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $115.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.73. 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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank raised their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective 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. Finally, 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.