Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Buys 912 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,999 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 912 shares during the period. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 31.6% during the 1st quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 346 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the first quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 3.0% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 2,268 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.27 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $118.12 and its 200-day moving average is $114.93. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.21 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The firm has a market cap of $90.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup raised their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.81.

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.