Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,675 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,391 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $13,133,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $132.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.88.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK traded down $1.81 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $117.06. 2,834,164 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,475,626. The company has a market capitalization of $90.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business's 50 day moving average is $117.41 and its 200-day moving average is $115.22. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.