TIAA Trust National Association Purchases 4,843 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

TIAA Trust National Association raised its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 145,247 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,843 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $15,649,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.10 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.65. The stock has a market cap of $90.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.47.

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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Seven equities research 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 an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy 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.