Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 54,406 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,862,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Outfitter Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Outfitter Financial LLC now owns 9,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 15,962 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,720,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Timonier Family Office LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $363,000. Finally, Cordatus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.1 %

DUK stock opened at $115.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $110.10 and a 200-day moving average of $113.00.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

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.