D.A. Davidson & CO. Buys 4,948 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 234,464 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,948 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $28,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 31.6% in the first quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 346 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 2.8% in the first quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Sheets Smith Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 27,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,356,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grandview Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Grandview Asset Management LLC now owns 14,135 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,724,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:DUK traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $117.59. 1,953,866 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,485,630. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.55 and a one year high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $91.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $117.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.37. 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 quarterly earnings data 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 business 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%. Duke Energy's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.88.

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.