Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 24.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 25,074 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 8,141 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bailard Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $384,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,032,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $119.31 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.61. The company has a market capitalization of $92.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.93.

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.