Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL reduced its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 91,188 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,346 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Barclays decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.2%

Duke Energy stock opened at $124.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $96.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $117.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.16. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.