Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 39.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,249 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,904 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,378,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Intergy Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $779,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 2,624 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 10,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,106,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $116.36. 3,741,730 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,440,224. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The company has a market capitalization of $90.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's fifty day moving average is $118.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid 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 3.59%. 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.