Oak Grove Capital LLC Purchases 49,020 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Oak Grove Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 120.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,740 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,020 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.4% of Oak Grove Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Oak Grove Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $9,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Souders Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 12,357 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,331,000 after buying an additional 2,005 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $227,000. Keybank National Association OH increased its position in Duke Energy by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 94,516 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Alley Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 36.4% in the 4th quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 76,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,240,000 after purchasing an additional 20,414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SWS Partners lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. SWS Partners now owns 17,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,872,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.46 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $111.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.19. 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 company has a market capitalization of $89.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.33 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders 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 3.59%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

About Duke Energy

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.