Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 295,210 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 18,231 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $36,007,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bcwm LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,815,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 212.8% during the fourth quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 79,989 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,618,000 after purchasing an additional 54,413 shares in the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 338.6% during the first quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 29,153 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 7.7% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,575,000 after purchasing an additional 20,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.9% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 127,419 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,451,000 after purchasing an additional 11,445 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE DUK opened at $117.40 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $104.02 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $91.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $116.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.74.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $124.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.88.

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.

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