Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Godsey & Gibb Inc.

Godsey & Gibb Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 204,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,220 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy makes up about 2.4% of Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $24,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $115.22 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.90. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27. The company has a market capitalization of $89.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current 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 3.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

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.