Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Grows Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,284 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,102 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its position 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. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $115.01 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $109.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.67. The stock has a market cap of $88.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

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.