FAS Wealth Partners Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 3.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 33,351 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,210 shares during the period. FAS Wealth Partners Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bcwm LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $9,815,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario boosted its position in Duke Energy by 212.8% during the 4th quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 79,989 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,618,000 after acquiring an additional 54,413 shares in the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 338.6% during the 1st quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,606,000 after acquiring an additional 29,153 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,575,000 after acquiring an additional 20,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc boosted its position in Duke Energy by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 127,419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,451,000 after acquiring an additional 11,445 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $118.39. 2,475,586 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,465,106. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $116.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $125.27.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 69.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.25.

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.