Cohen & Steers Inc. Sells 517,202 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Cohen & Steers Inc. reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,534,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 517,202 shares during the quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. owned about 0.33% of Duke Energy worth $273,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,378,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 1,071 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE DUK traded up $1.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $121.65. 3,409,730 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,381,113. The company has a market capitalization of $94.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.30, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $95.98 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.09.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on DUK. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.87.

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.