New England Asset Management Inc. Sells 9,415 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

New England Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,265 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,415 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for about 1.2% of New England Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. New England Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note 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 research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.00.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:DUK traded up $0.33 on Friday, reaching $116.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,966,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,419,924. The firm 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. The business's 50-day moving average price is $119.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.53. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. Equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. 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 3.60%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.32%.

Duke Energy Company 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.