Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 46.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 16,814 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,055,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,032,000. CCM Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,008,000 after purchasing an additional 16,356 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 296,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,941,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,566,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $117.50 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $90.77 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.62.

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.