Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Cuts Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lessened its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 31.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 253,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 118,885 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $27,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,852,000 after acquiring an additional 7,319 shares during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $384,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,032,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock traded up $1.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $117.10. 3,095,843 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,796,490. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $114.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.65. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $92.75 and a twelve month high of $121.46. The firm has a market cap of $90.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.87.

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.