Twin Capital Management Inc. Buys 2,766 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Twin Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 36,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,766 shares during the quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 299,570 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,532,000 after buying an additional 21,549 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 4,969 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,205,479 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $345,358,000 after purchasing an additional 90,552 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. raised its position in Duke Energy by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 4,228 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 137,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,760,000 after purchasing an additional 17,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $118.91 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $116.33 and a 200-day moving average of $113.84. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $125.27. The stock has a market cap of $92.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Scotiabank upped 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. 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 note on Friday, March 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.