Focus Financial Network Inc. Sells 142 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Focus Financial Network Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,030 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 142 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,885,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,852,731,000 after buying an additional 779,054 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,949,857,000 after acquiring an additional 124,863 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,930,833,000 after purchasing an additional 385,612 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,562,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $922,529,000 after purchasing an additional 135,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Duke Energy by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,503,503 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $916,168,000 after purchasing an additional 357,967 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE DUK opened at $116.27 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.93. 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. The stock has a market cap of $90.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup raised their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy 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.