Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC

Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 24.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 6,069 shares during the period. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th 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. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 41,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,524,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 7,037 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 5,110 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $551,000 after purchasing an additional 1,959 shares during the last quarter. Finally, bLong Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $225,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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 report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded down $1.55 during trading on Monday, reaching $115.31. 3,275,993 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,457,793. The firm has a market cap of $89.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company's fifty day moving average price is $118.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.91.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Duke Energy Company 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.