Wexford Capital LP Buys Shares of 62,370 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 62,370 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,720,000. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.1% of Wexford Capital LP's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $0.85 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $115.59. The stock had a trading volume of 4,700,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,432,098. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $119.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.60. The firm has a market cap of $89.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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 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 dividend yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on DUK. UBS Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. 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. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.