Van Strum & Towne Inc. Makes New $358,000 Investment in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Van Strum & Towne Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,939 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $358,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Barclays cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $119.84. The stock had a trading volume of 858,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,593,535. The company has a market capitalization of $93.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $116.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.28. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $1.065 dividend. This is a boost 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 dividend yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 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.