Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Lowered by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH decreased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 554,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 11,551 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $67,580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Bellecapital International Ltd. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 12,552 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 51.2% during the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,015 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $734,000 after buying an additional 2,036 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $203,000. Sapient Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 55.9% in the 1st quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 10,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,252,000 after acquiring an additional 3,681 shares during the period. Finally, apricus wealth LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 20,651 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,519,000 after purchasing an additional 615 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $117.25. 2,432,189 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,451,448. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The firm has a market cap of $91.13 billion, a PE ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.93. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.