Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 8.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 51,354 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,837 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Bank raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 6,164 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $752,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 576.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 150,869 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $19,641,000 after acquiring an additional 128,569 shares during the period. PFG Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 4,103 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Obermeyer Wealth Partners purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $222,000. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $358,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.34 on Thursday, hitting $119.85. 2,117,458 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,543,860. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company has a market capitalization of $93.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.37. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $116.80 and its 200 day moving average is $116.28.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.