KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC Increases Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,812 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,715 shares during the quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of DUK traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $115.47. The company had a trading volume of 2,407,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,452,606. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $118.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.91. The stock has a market cap of $89.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.81.

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.