Blair William & Co. IL Sells 2,346 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation by 2.5%, selling 2,346 shares, which left them with 91,188 shares valued at approximately $11.12 million.
• Duke Energy announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.065 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.4%, with payment scheduled for September 16th.
• Analysts have mixed views on Duke Energy, with several upgrades and price target adjustments, resulting in a current average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Blair William & Co. IL lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,188 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,346 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its position in Duke Energy by 212.8% in the 4th quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 79,989 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,618,000 after acquiring an additional 54,413 shares in the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 338.6% during the 1st quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,606,000 after buying an additional 29,153 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 7.7% during the 1st 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. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.9% during the 1st 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 during the period. Finally, Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 51,354 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,264,000 after purchasing an additional 3,837 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $125.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,831,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,175,662. The company has a market capitalization of $97.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.36. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $117.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%. The business had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.31.

About Duke Energy

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.