Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 497.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 282,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 235,448 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $35,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.93.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $124.28 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.66 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $96.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $126.82 and a 200 day moving average of $123.97. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Duke Energy Profile

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.