Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Has $19.68 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 170,691 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 14,552 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $19,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $1.66 on Tuesday, reaching $116.66. 1,213,924 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,066,057. The firm has a market cap of $90.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.47. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $115.08 and its 200-day moving average is $109.88. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.69.

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.