Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank cut its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 258,719 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,498 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $27,874,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $121.65 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $95.98 and a 52 week 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 has a market capitalization of $94.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $117.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.09.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

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.