Scotia Capital Inc. Invests $1.33 Million in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Scotia Capital Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 10,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,326,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 10,775 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,161,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 299,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,532,000 after buying an additional 21,549 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 148.4% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 784,299 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $84,500,000 after buying an additional 468,549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 66,008 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,112,000 after buying an additional 10,809 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $125.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,831,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,175,662. The company has a market cap of $97.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.36. The business's 50 day moving average price is $118.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $117.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $105.20 and a 1 year high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.31.

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.