Korea Investment CORP Sells 125,716 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Korea Investment CORP lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 16.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 626,106 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 125,716 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $67,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hardin Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Hardin Capital Partners LLC now owns 20,956 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 5,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $325,000. Trust Investment Advisors increased its position in Duke Energy by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 13,637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,469,000 after acquiring an additional 1,563 shares during the period. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $117.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $91.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.71. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $121.47.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

About Duke Energy

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.