Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Stock Position Reduced by Victrix Investment Advisors

Victrix Investment Advisors lowered its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 22.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,367 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,679 shares during the quarter. Victrix Investment Advisors' holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 46.2% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 11,430 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 3,611 shares during the last quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $224,000. Holistic Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $226,000. PDS Planning Inc grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.4% during the first quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 3,525 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beech Hill Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% in the first quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. now owns 12,375 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,509,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $132.00 in a report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.94.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.6%

DUK stock traded up $0.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $116.93. The stock had a trading volume of 3,567,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,469,832. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $117.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.01. 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 $90.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

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.