Cooper Financial Group trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 29.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,032 shares during the quarter. Cooper Financial Group's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Duke Energy Price Performance
Duke Energy stock traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $124.46. 3,826,265 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,218,880. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $127.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $96.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.36.
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%. The business had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.
Duke Energy Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.97%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research firms have issued reports on DUK. Scotiabank raised their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $129.20.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Duke Energy
Duke Energy Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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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