Yaupon Capital Management LP Acquires 134,336 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Yaupon Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 143.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 227,935 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 134,336 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up approximately 1.0% of Yaupon Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Yaupon Capital Management LP's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $24,558,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $173,000. Invst LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $2,012,000. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.7% during the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,349 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,677,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Co. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 14.9% in the third quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 2,701 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.84 during trading on Friday, hitting $119.86. 2,717,155 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,394,967. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $97.49 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $118.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.38. The stock has a market cap of $93.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.