KBC Group NV Has $6.75 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

KBC Group NV grew its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,847 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Twin Tree Management LP acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at about $1,396,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 362.7% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 27,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,664,000 after buying an additional 21,590 shares in the last quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,653 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,030,000 after buying an additional 3,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trustmark National Bank Trust Department raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the first quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department now owns 27,319 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,642,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded up $2.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $112.17. 3,868,001 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,153,396. The company has a market capitalization of $86.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $88.27 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.73%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on DUK. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.85.

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.