Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stock Holdings Lifted by Brevan Howard Capital Management LP

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 263.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 94,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 68,759 shares during the quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $10,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Bcwm LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth 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 stake in Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,852,000 after buying an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $384,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $122.63. The company had a trading volume of 3,466,596 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,377,640. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $119.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $99.21 and a one year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.00.

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.