Warm Springs Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Warm Springs Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 597 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 37,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,035,000 after buying an additional 8,963 shares during the period. Red Door Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 43,309 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,666,000 after buying an additional 3,250 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $236,000. Finally, Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded down $1.85 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $114.53. The company had a trading volume of 2,797,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,437,665. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27. 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 price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.87 and a 200-day simple moving average 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Citigroup increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.