Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. Buys Shares of 250 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $27,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $90.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $118.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.81.

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.