Allianz SE Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Allianz SE bought a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,666 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $179,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 88,099 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,492,000 after buying an additional 1,741 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,486,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,606 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,513,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 153,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,513,000 after acquiring an additional 1,941 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank lifted 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $122.07 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $122.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $115.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.73. The firm has a market cap of $94.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, 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 quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. 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 3.42%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

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.