GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 56,597 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,098,000.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.8%

Duke Energy stock traded up $0.97 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $116.42. The stock had a trading volume of 758,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,430,118. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $99.21 and a one year high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $90.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $118.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.73.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

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.