Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Sells 331,000 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 57.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 246,713 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 331,000 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $26,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 6,061 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,449 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 2,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 143.5% in the 4th quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP now owns 227,935 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,558,000 after acquiring an additional 134,336 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its stake in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 53,546 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,769,000 after purchasing an additional 2,132 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered 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, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE DUK traded up $1.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $121.69. 2,323,590 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,385,618. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The business's 50-day moving average is $118.54 and its 200-day moving average is $114.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $97.49 and a twelve month high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy 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.