Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Acquires 65,605 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 95.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 134,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 65,605 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $16,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during 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 during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $282,000. Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,916 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 4,707 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $2,232,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays upped their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $126.94.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.6%

DUK opened at $116.93 on Monday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $117.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.13. The company has a market capitalization of $90.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $126.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 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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