Swiss National Bank Has $265.73 Million Position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation by 0.1%, now owning 2,178,641 shares, worth approximately $265.7 million.
• Duke Energy recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, yielding 3.4%, with a payout ratio of 67.97%.
• JPMorgan Chase upgraded Duke Energy's price target from $122 to $127, while Citigroup raised it to $142, indicating positive sentiment among analysts.

Swiss National Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 0.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,178,641 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,800 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.28% of Duke Energy worth $265,729,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. 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 research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.20.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of DUK traded down $1.55 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $124.01. 1,396,052 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,593,227. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.70. The company has a market cap of $96.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.36.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (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 period in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.97%.

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.