CCM Investment Advisers LLC Buys 14,087 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

CCM Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 16.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 97,697 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 14,087 shares during the period. CCM Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,916,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,365 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,086,000 after buying an additional 2,764 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Certuity LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 3,380 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $364,000 after acquiring an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 70.5% during the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 3,553 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 1,469 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $0.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $116.75. 2,789,470 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,455,358. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.21 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $90.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $118.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.95.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Raymond James initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Company 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.