Quantbot Technologies LP Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 4,678 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $504,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.67 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.47. 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 market cap of $91.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $114.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.71.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS 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%. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim increased 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. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.