Foundry Partners LLC Has $40.24 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Foundry Partners LLC increased its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 20.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 329,922 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 55,670 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for 2.1% of Foundry Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Foundry Partners LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $40,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,885,939 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,852,731,000 after purchasing an additional 779,054 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,949,857,000 after purchasing an additional 124,863 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,930,833,000 after purchasing an additional 385,612 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,503,503 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $916,168,000 after purchasing an additional 357,967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,001,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $862,036,000 after purchasing an additional 499,652 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $118.39. 2,475,586 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,470,335. The stock's fifty day moving average is $116.43 and its 200-day moving average is $116.08. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The stock has a market cap of $92.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 70.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays reduced their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.25.

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.