Amundi Raises Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Amundi raised its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 29.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,488,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 561,784 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.32% of Duke Energy worth $269,368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% during 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. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of DUK opened at $116.78 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $90.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s fifty day moving average is $111.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.25. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.57.

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.