Channing Capital Management LLC Invests $1.33 Million in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 13,732 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,333,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $50,000. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $71,000. PFS Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 145.0% in the fourth quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 735 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

DUK stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $100.43. 3,081,418 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,001,468. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $77.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $100.74. The firm's 50 day moving average is $95.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.26.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 9th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Duke Energy from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $100.62.

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.