AGP Franklin LLC Buys New Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

AGP Franklin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,329 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,113,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

DUK stock traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $121.65. The company had a trading volume of 3,409,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,381,113. The company has a 50 day moving average of $117.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.09. 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 $95.98 and a 1 year high of $125.27. The company has a market capitalization of $94.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.30, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on DUK shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.