21,176 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Bought by Rice Partnership LLC

Rice Partnership LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 21,176 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,583,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.88.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $117.59 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $117.21 and a 200 day moving average of $115.43. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $100.03 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.32%.

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.

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