Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Oxford Asset Management LLP

Oxford Asset Management LLP reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 43.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,747 shares during the period. Oxford Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $528,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $173,000. Invst LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $2,012,000. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,677,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Co. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 2,701 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $119.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $93.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average of $118.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.37. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $97.49 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley increased 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 note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Company 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.