Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,891,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 49,150 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.24% of Duke Energy worth $203,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Bcwm LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,439,000 after buying an additional 3,139 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 25.7% during 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 last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $384,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $120.56. The stock had a trading volume of 312,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,382,788. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $97.49 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.68 billion, a PE ratio of 21.15, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The stock's 50 day moving average is $118.37 and its 200 day moving average is $114.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.