R Squared Ltd Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 4,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $455,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC now owns 5,351 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 936 shares during the period. Baker Boyer National Bank raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 3,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,350,000. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 8,842 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $953,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,042 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,422,000 after acquiring an additional 2,491 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $111.42 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market cap of $86.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.24 and a 200-day moving average of $112.42.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

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.