First Business Financial Services Inc. Makes New $384,000 Investment in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $115.26 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $89.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.21. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Scotiabank boosted 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.57.

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.