Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 13.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,248 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $12,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at 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 purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. Scotiabank lifted their price objective 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. UBS Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $122.07 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $115.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $122.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.