J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Raises Stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 154.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 93,930 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 57,044 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $282,000. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 7,999 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $862,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 5,827 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $504,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock traded up $1.35 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $119.77. 2,217,308 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,465,381. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $93.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $116.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.14.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.25.

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.