Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stock Position Reduced by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 66.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 622,135 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,251,186 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.08% of Duke Energy worth $75,882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $116.27 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $90.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $118.12 and a 200-day moving average of $114.93. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on DUK. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays boosted 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, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.81.

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.