Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 73.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 18,922 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,015 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $115.22 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $89.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.81.

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.