May Hill Capital LLC Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,664 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $287,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $121.08 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $94.08 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $115.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.75.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

About Duke Energy

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.