Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 107,897 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,151 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $10,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 9,164.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 979,294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $95,031,000 after acquiring an additional 968,723 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 4,163.9% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 882,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,352,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,515,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $799,599,000 after buying an additional 842,458 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,141,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,081,125,000 after buying an additional 509,039 shares during the period. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,874,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE DUK opened at $108.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $83.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $83.06 and a 52 week high of $110.02.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.