Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Increases Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,393 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $116.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $90.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $118.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.95. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.21 and a 12 month high of $125.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 target price (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.81.

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.