Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 3,200 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Gabelli Funds LLC lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 328,800 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,200 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $35,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. AGP Franklin LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,113,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $10,971,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $309,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

Duke Energy stock traded up $1.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $121.65. The stock had a trading volume of 3,409,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,381,113. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $117.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.09. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $95.98 and a one year high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $94.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.30, a P/E/G 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Duke Energy

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.