Twin Capital Management Inc. Buys 2,766 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Twin Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,766 shares during the quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Bcwm LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.5% during the fourth 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 boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $384,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $118.91 on Monday. 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 50 day simple moving average of $116.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.84. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The stock has a market cap of $92.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

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 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.