Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 553 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $60,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $117.67 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $121.47. The company has a market cap of $91.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $114.97 and a 200-day moving average of $113.71.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a 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 research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

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.