Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Reduces Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,207 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,797 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Bcwm LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,852,000 after buying an additional 7,319 shares during the period. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $384,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $119.86. The stock had a trading volume of 2,717,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,986,275. The company has a market capitalization of $93.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $118.19 and a 200-day moving average of $114.29. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $97.49 and a 12-month high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.