FORA Capital LLC Takes $312,000 Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,897 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $312,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE DUK traded up $0.57 on Friday, reaching $115.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,146,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,415,769. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company's fifty day moving average is $119.32 and its 200 day moving average is $114.53. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.00.

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.