Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. Invests $28,000 in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 261 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $28,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $117.76 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $112.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.34. The firm has a market cap of $91.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

Duke Energy 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.