Chapman Financial Group LLC Purchases New Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Chapman Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,702 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $291,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th 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 period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $121.59 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $119.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.53. The stock has a market cap of $94.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27. 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 (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of 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 Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently 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.

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