1,666 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Acquired by Allianz SE

Allianz SE acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,666 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $179,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.2 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $122.07 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.73. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $122.50. The firm 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 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 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 analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.87.

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.