Geode Capital Management LLC Purchases 385,612 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 385,612 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.31% of Duke Energy worth $1,930,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DUK. Guggenheim increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.87.

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Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $3.61 during trading on Thursday, hitting $124.00. 7,425,059 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,263,154. The stock has a market cap of $96.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm's fifty day moving average is $115.86 and its 200-day moving average is $113.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $124.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 73.20%.

Duke Energy Company 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.