Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Whalerock Point Partners LLC

Whalerock Point Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 44.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 8,000 shares during the period. Whalerock Point Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. UBS Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

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

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

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.