Entropy Technologies LP Purchases Shares of 56,437 Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 56,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,081,000. Duke Energy makes up approximately 0.6% of Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,365 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,086,000 after buying an additional 2,764 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 65,193 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,024,000 after buying an additional 3,225 shares in the last quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC now owns 24,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,597,000 after buying an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,378,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D Orazio & Associates Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 2,746 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $115.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.72. The stock has a market cap of $88.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

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.