Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 407,246 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 8,822 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Duke Energy worth $43,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11,471.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 6,777,973 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $781,500,000 after buying an additional 6,719,398 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,537,000. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 155.1% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $201,832,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138,979 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 13,829.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,125,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $129,782,000 after buying an additional 1,117,526 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:DUK traded down $0.75 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $110.85. 4,699,444 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,253,610. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $85.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $109.85 and a 200 day moving average of $113.00. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company 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 is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.77%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

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.