70,470 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Bought by Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 70,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,592,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $117.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $91.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47. 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 fifty day moving average price of $114.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.71.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on DUK shares. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

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.