Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Lifted by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 50.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,098 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $118,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Sachetta LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% during the third 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $107.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $111.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.34. The company has a market cap of $83.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.88%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.