Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 269,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 32,164 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $29,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.69 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $112.40 and its 200 day moving average is $113.36. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.44, 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 (NYSE:DUK) last announced its 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid 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 3.58%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.