Griffith & Werner Inc. Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Griffith & Werner Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 22,331 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,406,000. Duke Energy makes up about 1.6% of Griffith & Werner Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bcwm LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,439,000 after buying an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $384,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,941,000 after buying an additional 9,070 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.87 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $115.32. 1,167,424 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,432,666. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $99.21 and a one year 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $118.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.71.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The business 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%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.