McLean Asset Management Corp Buys 102 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

McLean Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,581 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $278,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $109.86 on Monday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The stock has a market cap of $84.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $110.26 and a 200 day moving average of $112.36. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.80%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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 decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their price target 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. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.23.

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.