Code Waechter LLC Takes Position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Code Waechter LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 3,456 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $422,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,885,939 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,852,731,000 after purchasing an additional 779,054 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,949,857,000 after buying an additional 124,863 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,930,833,000 after buying an additional 385,612 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,503,503 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $916,168,000 after buying an additional 357,967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,001,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $862,036,000 after buying an additional 499,652 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $118.13. The company had a trading volume of 2,072,652 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,479,898. The firm has a market cap of $91.82 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $102.66 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $116.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.57.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.88.

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.