SHEPHERD WEALTH MANAGEMENT Ltd LIABILITY Co Takes $240,000 Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

SHEPHERD WEALTH MANAGEMENT Ltd LIABILITY Co bought a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,378,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Intergy Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $779,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $117.76 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. 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 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.93.

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.