Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stake Reduced by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board reduced its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,760 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,961,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 62.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 33,877 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,650,000 after acquiring an additional 13,013 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $369,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $779,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 41,994 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,524,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 96,031 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,346,000 after acquiring an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $111.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $86.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a PEG 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. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $109.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.94. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly 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 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on DUK. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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 downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

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.