Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by Resolution Capital Ltd

Resolution Capital Ltd increased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,740 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 6,388 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy makes up 0.1% of Resolution Capital Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Resolution Capital Ltd's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased 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 owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE DUK traded up $0.61 on Tuesday, reaching $117.60. 2,573,767 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,906,568. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $119.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.57. The company has a market cap of $91.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.61, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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 posted its 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 during 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%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.00.

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.