Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,456 shares during the quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,019,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.25.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $120.58. 3,431,658 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,369,901. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $117.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.68. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.37.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm 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 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 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.