Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Position Increased by Shepherd Financial Partners LLC

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 30,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $114.77 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $89.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s fifty day moving average is $118.10 and its 200-day moving average is $114.90. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

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.