Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 8,882 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $957,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Czech National Bank grew its position in Duke Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 167,490 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $18,045,000 after buying an additional 10,246 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 62.0% during the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,782 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 1,448 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 132.4% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 15,541 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,674,000 after buying an additional 8,853 shares during the period. City State Bank grew its position in Duke Energy by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its position in Duke Energy by 36.3% during the fourth quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 5,912 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $116.27. 2,966,683 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,418,824. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $119.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.55. The company has a market capitalization of $90.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective 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. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective 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. 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 stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.00.

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.