Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC Acquires New Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,389 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $1.85 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $114.53. 2,797,709 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,441,528. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $89.02 billion, a PE ratio of 20.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $118.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.71. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 69.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.