Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,485 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on DUK shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.00.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK traded up $0.33 on Friday, reaching $116.27. The stock had a trading volume of 2,966,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,419,925. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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 50-day moving average of $119.29 and a 200 day moving average of $114.54. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.