AJOVista LLC Makes New $67,000 Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 694 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $67,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $71,000. PFS Partners LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 145.0% in the fourth quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 263.2% in the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $100.45 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $77.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.24, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $100.74.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 9.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.