6,300 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Acquired by Finward Bancorp

Finward Bancorp purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 6,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $679,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:DUK traded up $1.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $121.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,409,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,381,113. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $95.98 and a one year high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $94.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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 $117.56 and its 200-day moving average is $114.09.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.