Resolution Capital Ltd Buys 6,388 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Resolution Capital Ltd increased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 55,740 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,388 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up 0.1% of Resolution Capital Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Resolution Capital Ltd’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bcwm LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $112.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $99.21 and a one year high of $125.27. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.60 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Finally, Barclays increased their price target 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.00.

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.