Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Stack Financial Management Inc

Stack Financial Management Inc trimmed its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 194,867 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,533 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up 2.0% of Stack Financial Management Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Stack Financial Management Inc's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $23,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Concord Asset Management LLC VA boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 227.9% in the first quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 17,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,123,000 after acquiring an additional 12,153 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $469,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 29.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 132,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $16,218,000 after purchasing an additional 29,880 shares during the period. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 6.3% in the first quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,497 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 20.4% in the first quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,311 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 1,408 shares during the last quarter. 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 a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets dropped 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. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $117.83. The stock had a trading volume of 2,160,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,469,533. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company has a market capitalization of $91.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $116.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.88.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. 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.