Mariner LLC Buys 27,282 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,036,812 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,282 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Duke Energy worth $111,706,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $173,000. Invst LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 19.4% during the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $2,012,000. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,677,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Co. raised its position in Duke Energy by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 2,701 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $118.81 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $116.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $92.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. 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. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.