CWA Asset Management Group LLC Sells 7,741 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 135,710 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 7,741 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for 0.8% of CWA Asset Management Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. CWA Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $16,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.75.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $114.50. The company had a trading volume of 2,937,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,457,232. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.89. The stock has a market cap of $88.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 month 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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.65%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

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.