Capital Research Global Investors Sells 4,617,276 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Capital Research Global Investors lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 45.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,610,461 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,617,276 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned about 0.73% of Duke Energy worth $604,471,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,378,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $779,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 2,624 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven 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, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $121.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,036,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,386,469. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $117.81 and its 200-day moving average is $114.17. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $96.68 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The firm has a market cap of $94.38 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS 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.