E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Buys New Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,873 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.78 on Monday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $111.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.57.

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.