National Pension Service Purchases 86,378 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

National Pension Service raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,866,763 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 86,378 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.24% of Duke Energy worth $201,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 35.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 50,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,834,000 after purchasing an additional 13,056 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 208,291 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,185,000 after buying an additional 20,183 shares in the last quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $205,000. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 8,495 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $979,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Orrstown Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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. Scotiabank lifted 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.62.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $117.29 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $110.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.06. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $90.09 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

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.