Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. has increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation by 1.1%, owning approximately 8.66 million shares valued over $1 billion as of the latest filing.
• Duke Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065, reflecting a boost from its previous dividend, with a current yield of 3.4%.
• The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.31, with analysts showing a mix of ratings on future price targets.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,656,244 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 93,699 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.11% of Duke Energy worth $1,055,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 212.8% in the fourth quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 79,989 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,618,000 after buying an additional 54,413 shares in the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 338.6% in the 1st quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 29,153 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,575,000 after buying an additional 20,942 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 127,419 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,451,000 after acquiring an additional 11,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 51,354 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,264,000 after purchasing an additional 3,837 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $125.16 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $127.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.31.

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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