6,660 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Bought by Northstar Financial Companies Inc.

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,660 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $718,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,378,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $779,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 2,624 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 10,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,106,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK traded up $0.91 during trading on Thursday, reaching $115.36. 2,292,824 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,440,587. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week 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 stock has a market capitalization of $89.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $118.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.73.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.