Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stock Position Lifted by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 385,612 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.31% of Duke Energy worth $1,930,833,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bcwm LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th 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 period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after acquiring an additional 7,319 shares during the period. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $384,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of DUK opened at $122.07 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $122.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $115.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.73.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, 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, March 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

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.