Diametric Capital LP Makes New $204,000 Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Diametric Capital LP bought a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,897 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim upped their target price 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 price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Seven 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

DUK opened at $120.44 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $122.50. 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 has a market capitalization of $93.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $115.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.