Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Brookstone Capital Management

Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,572 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,574 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $14,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 42,619 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,198,000 after acquiring an additional 688 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 231,209 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,658,000 after buying an additional 13,749 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 58,099 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,086,000 after purchasing an additional 1,502 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 49,202 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,001,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 12,629 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,508,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $117.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,953,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,485,630. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.55 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $91.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average of $117.21 and a 200-day moving average of $115.37.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.88.

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.