Godsey & Gibb Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 202,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy makes up approximately 2.2% of Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $21,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

DUK opened at $106.39 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $82.18 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $110.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on 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. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.