APG Asset Management N.V. Decreases Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

APG Asset Management N.V. cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 242,770 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 17,834 shares during the quarter. APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $25,259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.20.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $116.40 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $125.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $116.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

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

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.