Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Increases Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 124,863 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 2.34% of Duke Energy worth $1,949,857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.87.

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Duke Energy Stock Up 3.0 %

NYSE DUK traded up $3.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $124.00. 7,425,059 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,267,079. 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 firm has a market cap of $96.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $116.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.87. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $124.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its 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 net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

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.