Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS reduced its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,462,469 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,782 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises 1.0% of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $157,566,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 20,959 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,258,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 290.8% during the 4th quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 88,527 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,538,000 after purchasing an additional 65,875 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Duke Energy by 79.3% in the 4th quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 21,993 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,369,000 after purchasing an additional 9,726 shares in the last quarter. Bestgate Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $347,000. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $388,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $119.31 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.61. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $92.75 and a twelve month high of $121.47. The company has a market capitalization of $92.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

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.