Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 69.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 18,821 shares during the quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bcwm LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $384,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,941,000 after acquiring an additional 9,070 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE DUK traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $116.51. 2,683,676 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,439,012. The company has a 50 day moving average of $119.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.55 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 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.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 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 the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders 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 3.59%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.