Vest Financial LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 73.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,922 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 8,015 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $116.28. 999,667 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,443,873. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $118.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.38 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.