Whipplewood Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,636 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $176,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $116.03 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.10. The company has a market capitalization of $89.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results 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%. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

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.