Commerce Bank Has $27.87 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Commerce Bank reduced its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 258,719 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,498 shares during the period. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $27,874,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

DUK opened at $121.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $94.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $95.98 and a twelve month 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $117.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.09.

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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.