Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Sells 11,551 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 554,073 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,551 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $67,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Bellecapital International Ltd. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 12,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 51.2% in the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $734,000 after acquiring an additional 2,036 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. Sapient Capital LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 55.9% during the first quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 10,263 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,252,000 after acquiring an additional 3,681 shares during the last quarter. Finally, apricus wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 20,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,519,000 after purchasing an additional 615 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.27 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $90.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $118.12 and its 200 day moving average is $114.93.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target 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 issued a $127.00 price target (up from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.