Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $5.82 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,124 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 14,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Verum Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 27,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,667,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

DUK traded up $0.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $100.43. 3,081,418 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,001,468. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $95.73 and a 200 day moving average of $94.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $100.74.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 9.78%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.62.

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.