Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,931 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,478,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bailard Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,852,000 after acquiring an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $384,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,032,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.98 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $118.12. 3,904,744 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,002,479. The business has a 50-day moving average of $114.16 and a 200-day moving average of $113.65. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47. 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 market capitalization of $91.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

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Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.