GSA Capital Partners LLP Buys 8,057 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 335.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,460 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,057 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,949,857,000 after purchasing an additional 124,863 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,503,503 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $916,168,000 after buying an additional 357,967 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Duke Energy by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,001,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $862,036,000 after acquiring an additional 499,652 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 4,838,705 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $521,322,000 after acquiring an additional 625,008 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,476,604 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $424,041,000 after acquiring an additional 271,125 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. Barclays decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.25.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $120.58 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.37. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $117.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.70. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $125.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released 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 analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend 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.

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