Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX Acquires Shares of 2,175 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,175 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $355,000. United Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,171 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the period. Challenger Wealth Management acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $1,162,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $222,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.4%

Duke Energy stock traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.06. The stock had a trading volume of 974,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,431,128. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $118.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.73. The firm has a market cap of $90.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27. 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 (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target 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. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

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.