Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA Buys 518 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 21.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $2,537,000. Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 155.1% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $201,832,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138,979 shares in the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 116.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $222,520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111,581 shares during the period. Finally, Brookfield Corp ON increased its stake in Duke Energy by 112.6% during the 3rd quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 1,002,811 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $115,624,000 after purchasing an additional 531,073 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $116.78 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.25. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim increased their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.57.

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.