Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Acquires 7,699 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 64,222 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 7,699 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth 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 have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.25.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Duke Energy stock traded up $0.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $118.39. 2,475,586 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,461,813. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $92.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $116.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.95.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.32%.

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.