iA Global Asset Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 290.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 88,527 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 65,875 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $9,538,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on DUK. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. 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. Scotiabank increased 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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Duke Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

DUK stock traded down $0.98 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $118.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,904,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,002,480. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. 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 $121.47.

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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

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.