Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Invests $534,000 in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,375 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $534,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.88.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.40 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $104.02 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.79.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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