ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Purchases 1,651 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 55.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,651 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the third quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $105.93 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $81.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.47, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $111.00 and a 200-day moving average of $111.62. 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.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on DUK. Scotiabank upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.