Graver Capital Management LLC Purchases New Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Graver Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000. Duke Energy accounts for about 0.2% of Graver Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.00.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $120.31 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $93.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $119.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.64. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 69.32%.

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.