JT Stratford LLC Has $1.28 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

JT Stratford LLC decreased its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,835 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 98 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $163,819,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 116.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $222,520,000 after buying an additional 1,111,581 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,885,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,852,731,000 after acquiring an additional 779,054 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 4,838,705 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $521,322,000 after acquiring an additional 625,008 shares during the period. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 40.6% during the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 2,027,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $218,454,000 after acquiring an additional 585,600 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.47 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $90.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $119.20 and its 200-day moving average is $114.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.00.

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.