Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by TD Asset Management Inc

TD Asset Management Inc reduced its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 3.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 345,143 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 11,759 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $42,097,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 212.8% in the fourth 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. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 338.6% in the first quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,606,000 after acquiring an additional 29,153 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 7.7% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,575,000 after acquiring an additional 20,942 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.9% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 127,419 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,451,000 after acquiring an additional 11,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 8.1% during the first 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 during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $117.68 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given 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 is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on DUK. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 target price (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.25.

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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