Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 955,579 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,599 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $102,954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. PBMares Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $760,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 4.0% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. 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 research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $110.85 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $109.85 and a 200 day moving average of $113.00. The firm has a market cap of $85.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

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.