Holcombe Financial Inc. Buys New Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Holcombe Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,853 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $307,000. Duke Energy makes up approximately 0.3% of Holcombe Financial Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bcwm LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

Duke Energy stock traded down $1.69 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $120.84. 1,617,076 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,372,124. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $117.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.17. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $96.68 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on DUK shares. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. 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 report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.