Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 74.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 24,577 shares during the period. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $928,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bcwm LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $384,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of DUK opened at $116.40 on Thursday. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $116.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.88. The company has a market capitalization of $90.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Scotiabank boosted their price target on 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 increased their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.20.

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.