Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 45.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,695 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,033 shares during the period. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $125.00 to $132.00 in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Guggenheim raised their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.94.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $116.93. The stock had a trading volume of 3,567,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,474,279. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.01. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The stock has a market cap of $90.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 69.32%.

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.