Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 9.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 777,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,663 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $94,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.9% in the first quarter. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC now owns 21,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,536 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 7,367 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $899,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors now owns 12,528 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,528,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 146.9% during the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 31,562 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,850,000 after acquiring an additional 18,781 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 9,314.1% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 7,343 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $896,000 after acquiring an additional 7,265 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $120.58 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $93.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $105.20 and a 1 year high of $125.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $117.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The company 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 business’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 69.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Duke Energy Company 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.