Channing Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 13,732 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,333,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $67,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $71,000. PFS Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 145.0% during the 4th quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 263.2% during the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 629 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of DUK traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $100.42. 2,624,032 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,989,044. The firm has a market cap of $77.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.17. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $83.06 and a 52-week high of $100.74.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Duke Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.62.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.