Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Acquires 2,500 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 26.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,064 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 21.5% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 663 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,473 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $991,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transform Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 49.3% during the fourth quarter. Transform Wealth LLC now owns 5,768 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.47 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $119.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.00.

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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