Farther Finance Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 48.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,798 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,120 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,365 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,086,000 after buying an additional 2,764 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $212,000. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $295,000. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 41,812 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,505,000 after acquiring an additional 5,898 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK traded down $0.53 on Friday, reaching $116.75. 2,789,470 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,455,362. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $118.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.95. The firm has a market cap of $90.75 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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.