Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 731 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,051 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 731 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,716,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 332.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $113.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $109.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.