Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $50.39 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 467,681 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 36,210 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $50,388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th 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 period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 25.7% during the fourth 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 during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $384,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,032,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $119.42 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.70. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $121.47. The firm has a market cap of $92.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G 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.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim lifted 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. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

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.