Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Has $32.49 Million Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 34.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 266,337 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 68,939 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $32,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $116.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,789,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,458,523. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $118.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.93. The stock has a market cap of $90.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Raymond James began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.81.

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.