Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Sells 127,795 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 45.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 153,033 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 127,795 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $16,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on DUK. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.00.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $116.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,966,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,422,807. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.53. The company has a market cap of $90.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

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.