Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 144,362 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,913 shares during the quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $15,640,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on DUK. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.00.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $116.27. 2,966,683 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,418,824. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year 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. The business has a 50-day moving average of $119.29 and a 200-day moving average of $114.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders 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 is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

About Duke Energy

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.