Beck Bode LLC Acquires 15,888 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Beck Bode LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 138,639 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,888 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy comprises 2.7% of Beck Bode LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Beck Bode LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $14,937,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $121.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 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%. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. 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 report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.87.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DUK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.