2,605 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Acquired by Warm Springs Advisors Inc.

Warm Springs Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Simon Quick Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 8,963 shares during the period. Red Door Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 43,309 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,666,000 after purchasing an additional 3,250 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. Finally, Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $116.36. The company had a trading volume of 3,741,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,440,225. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $90.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.