Northstar Financial Companies Inc. Invests $718,000 in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 6,660 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $718,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.9%

DUK stock traded up $2.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $117.61. 8,077,893 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,461,048. The stock has a market cap of $91.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G 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 fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $118.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.82.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (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%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

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.