Cornerstone Capital Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Cornerstone Capital Inc. cut its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 15.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,217 shares during the period. Cornerstone Capital Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Curi RMB Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 15,406 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,660,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,891,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $203,815,000 after acquiring an additional 49,150 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,666,892 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $179,591,000 after purchasing an additional 173,681 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $222,000. Finally, Generation Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $300,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Barclays upped their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on 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 boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. 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 data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $121.05. The stock had a trading volume of 1,296,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,976,953. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $97.49 and a 1 year 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $118.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.22. The company has a market capitalization of $94.06 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

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

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.