ING Groep NV Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

ING Groep NV lifted its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 732.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 203,913 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 179,414 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $21,970,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $113.15 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. 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 has a market capitalization of $87.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $109.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.97.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. 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. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

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.