PFG Investments LLC Raises Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

PFG Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 272.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,941 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 20,444 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 3,390 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Breakwater Capital Group lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.9% in the first quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 2,912 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,949 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 14,483 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Verum Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $1.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $97.71. The stock had a trading volume of 1,994,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,375,920. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $100.13. The company has a market capitalization of $75.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $94.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The business had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on DUK. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Evercore ISI raised Duke Energy from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.62.

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.

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