Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Has $8.37 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 77,656 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,136 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for 0.8% of Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised 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 period. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $110.67 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $85.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $110.20 and its 200 day moving average is $112.46. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.78%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.23.

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.