Thomasville National Bank Has $27.91 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Thomasville National Bank raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 228,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 5,871 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy accounts for about 2.0% of Thomasville National Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Thomasville National Bank's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $27,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE DUK traded down $0.53 during trading on Friday, hitting $116.75. The stock had a trading volume of 2,789,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,455,362. The company has a market capitalization of $90.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The company's 50-day moving average price is $118.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.