Bcwm LLC Acquires Shares of 91,100 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Bcwm LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 91,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,815,000. Duke Energy makes up about 3.5% of Bcwm LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in 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 during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Seven investment 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 currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.6 %

DUK traded up $3.11 during trading on Thursday, reaching $123.50. The stock had a trading volume of 3,039,385 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,246,393. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $124.30. The company has a market capitalization of $95.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock's 50 day moving average is $115.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.