Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Raises Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 19.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 188,483 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 30,441 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $20,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,885,939 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,852,731,000 after buying an additional 779,054 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,949,857,000 after buying an additional 124,863 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,930,833,000 after buying an additional 385,612 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,562,545 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $922,529,000 after acquiring an additional 135,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Duke Energy by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,001,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $862,036,000 after acquiring an additional 499,652 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.88 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $120.70. The company had a trading volume of 3,801,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,381,183. The stock has a market cap of $93.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company's 50 day moving average price is $119.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy 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.