Crestline Management LP Buys Shares of 50,000 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Crestline Management LP acquired a new position in 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. The firm acquired 50,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,387,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $122.95 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $99.21 and a one year high of $125.27. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $119.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.58.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays raised their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Company 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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