1,520,504 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Bought by ExodusPoint Capital Management LP

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,520,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $163,819,000. Duke Energy accounts for about 1.1% of ExodusPoint Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.20% of Duke Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th 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. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of DUK opened at $120.44 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $115.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.80. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $122.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Company 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.