6,838 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Purchased by Wills Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake of 6,838 shares in Duke Energy Corporation valued at approximately $834,000 during the first quarter of the year.
• Duke Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend increase to $1.065 per share, with an annualized yield of 3.5%, set to be paid on September 16th.
• The company's stock has seen a price target increase from several brokerages, with Citigroup raising its target from $130.00 to $142.00, reflecting positive market sentiment.

Wills Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,838 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $834,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on DUK. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.31.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $125.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,831,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,623,953. The business's fifty day moving average is $117.87 and its 200-day moving average is $117.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market cap of $97.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 69.27%.

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.