Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) CEO Louis Renjel Sells 3,500 Shares

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) CEO Louis Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $125.11. 3,321,164 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,104,586. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $111.22 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.80 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $141.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.20.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management lifted its position in Duke Energy by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy announced it applied for U.S. Department of Energy loans that could unlock potentially billions of dollars in customer savings while helping fund grid upgrades and added capacity. Investors may view this as a long-term positive for regulated growth and capital efficiency. Duke Energy applies for Department of Energy loans that represent potentially billions of dollars in customer savings
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on Duke Energy to $140 from $139, signaling continued confidence in the stock’s upside despite recent volatility. Evercore raises Duke Energy price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies cut its target to $138 from $143 and UBS lowered its target to $135 from $137, but both targets still sit above the current share price, suggesting analysts remain generally constructive. Jefferies lowers Duke Energy price target UBS lowers Duke Energy price target
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares in a disclosed transaction, which can create some near-term investor caution even though insider sales do not always indicate a fundamental problem. SEC Form 4 filing for CEO share sale

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.