First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Buys 7,049 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 8.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,382 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,049 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $10,780,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of DUK traded up $0.90 on Thursday, reaching $117.25. 2,432,189 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,447,247. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $118.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.93. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets dropped 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 report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, 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 research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

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.