Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Decreases Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado reduced its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,473 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,504 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of DUK traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $121.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,609,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,383,386. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $98.58 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company's fifty day moving average price is $118.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.53. The stock has a market cap of $94.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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 paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.