Silver Oak Securities Incorporated Boosts Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,311 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Finally, PFS Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 145.0% during the 4th quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $97.71 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $75.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $83.06 and a 12 month high of $100.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $94.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.11 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Scotiabank cut their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.62.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.