Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Picton Mahoney Asset Management

Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 54.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,002 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,768 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $539,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

DUK opened at $120.29 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $112.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $93.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

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.