Fayez Sarofim & Co Increases Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,546 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,132 shares during the quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $173,000. Invst LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,012,000. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,349 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,677,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Co. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 14.9% during the third quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 2,701 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on DUK shares. Guggenheim boosted 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK traded down $0.84 on Friday, reaching $119.86. The stock had a trading volume of 2,717,155 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,389,365. The business's 50-day moving average price is $118.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $97.49 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $93.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

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

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.