Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by Golden State Equity Partners

Golden State Equity Partners grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 3.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,571 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the quarter. Golden State Equity Partners’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,167,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $116.98 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $117.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.97. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.21 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company has a market capitalization of $90.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.92 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 (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly 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. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have 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. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. 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 note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.75.

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.