2,132 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Purchased by RNC Capital Management LLC

RNC Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CKW Financial Group acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE:DUK traded up $1.56 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $95.23. 708,822 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,115,801. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.06 and a fifty-two week high of $100.39. The company has a market capitalization of $73.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.86.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 16th were given a dividend of $1.025 per share. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.31%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 115.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America cut shares of Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.