Woodline Partners LP Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 46,391 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,998,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zimmer Partners LP increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 2,027,600 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $218,454,000 after purchasing an additional 585,600 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its stake in Duke Energy by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 455,211 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $49,044,000 after purchasing an additional 27,127 shares in the last quarter. Victrix Investment Advisors bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,729,000. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 15,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,640,000 after buying an additional 1,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sone Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,062,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $116.36. 3,741,730 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,440,224. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $118.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.70. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.38, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.81.

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.