Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Nepsis Inc.

Nepsis Inc. lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 73.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,751 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 41,196 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up approximately 0.4% of Nepsis Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Nepsis Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 11.2% in the first quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 5,266 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $642,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 2,850 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 160.9% in the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 7,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $883,000 after acquiring an additional 4,464 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 17.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,636 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,663,000 after purchasing an additional 2,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 7.6% during the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 15,680 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,912,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $117.18. The stock had a trading volume of 927,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,441,567. The stock has a market cap of $91.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $118.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.95. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The business's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Profile

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.