Donaldson Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Donaldson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 31.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,235 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,328 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,224,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,365 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,086,000 after purchasing an additional 2,764 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $212,000. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $295,000. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 41,812 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,505,000 after purchasing an additional 5,898 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5%

DUK stock traded down $0.53 during trading on Friday, reaching $116.75. 2,789,470 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,458,523. The business's 50 day moving average price is $118.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.93. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.21 and a 52-week high of $125.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

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.