Bessemer Group Inc. Has $139.94 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Bessemer Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,298,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 32,613 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $139,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.40 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $125.27. 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 price of $116.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.20.

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.