City National Bank of Florida MSD Invests $299,000 in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

City National Bank of Florida MSD acquired a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,774 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $299,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target 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. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $116.61. The company had a trading volume of 1,525,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,887,171. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The firm's 50 day moving average is $118.95 and its 200-day moving average is $114.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 69.32%.

About Duke Energy

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.