Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Increases Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,810,125 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 17,847 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Duke Energy worth $208,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Patron Partners LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 10.4% in the third quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 2,407 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 21,264 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,452,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,958,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its stake in Duke Energy by 38.2% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 5,796 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $111.27. 2,191,609 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,059,034. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $115.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $88.27 and a 12 month high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

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.