ProShare Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 28.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 131,950 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 29,380 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $14,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of DUK traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $116.98. The stock had a trading volume of 2,772,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,416,239. The stock's 50 day moving average is $119.29 and its 200 day moving average is $114.57. The firm has a market cap of $90.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on DUK. Guggenheim upped their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.00.

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.