Intergy Private Wealth LLC Raises Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Intergy Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Intergy Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bcwm LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $384,000. Finally, Alley Investment Management Company LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 36.4% during the fourth quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 76,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,240,000 after purchasing an additional 20,414 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on DUK. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim raised their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $115.22 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $89.56 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $118.43 and its 200 day moving average is $114.90.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.