Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by CGN Advisors LLC

CGN Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 10.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,053 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,610 shares during the period. CGN Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

DUK traded down $0.76 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $115.97. 3,288,240 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,454,539. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $90.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.87. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

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.