Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,877 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,095 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $15,932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth 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. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.10 on Tuesday, reaching $116.59. 1,069,907 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,431,205. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $118.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.81.

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.