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

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased 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 in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $114.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $118.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.90. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective 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. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Eight investment 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, Duke Energy 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.