Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC

Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 580.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 99,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 84,816 shares during the quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $10,712,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $115.69. The company had a trading volume of 792,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,892,068. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.62. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors 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 3.61%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

About Duke Energy

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.