70,772 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Purchased by Calton & Associates Inc.

Calton & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 70,772 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,632,000. Duke Energy accounts for about 1.0% of Calton & Associates Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.25.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK traded up $0.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $118.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,475,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,470,335. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 2.96 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 70.65%.

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.