Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stake Raised by Waverly Advisors LLC

Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,333 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $14,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 62.7% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 42,680 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,003,000 after buying an additional 16,450 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Duke Energy by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 132,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,534,000 after acquiring an additional 24,497 shares in the last quarter. Moseley Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 423.6% in the fourth quarter. Moseley Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,749 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,143,000 after acquiring an additional 7,887 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 187.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 78,293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,177,000 after acquiring an additional 51,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 53,861 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,313,000 after purchasing an additional 12,219 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $130.54 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $125.85. The stock has a market cap of $101.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.38. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $113.89 and a one year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.085 dividend. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 65.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.62.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp reiterated an Overweight rating on Duke Energy and raised its longer-term earnings outlook, nudging up FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029 EPS estimates. The firm also kept a $139 price target, suggesting confidence in Duke’s earnings growth trajectory.
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy unveiled its Customer Protection Plus framework, designed to support rapid data center-driven power demand while aiming to deliver billions in customer savings. Investors may view this as a constructive way to monetize infrastructure growth without triggering excessive pushback from customers. Duke Energy (DUK) Unveils Customer Savings Plan To Back Data Center Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, reinforcing Duke Energy’s appeal as an income stock and helping attract dividend-focused investors. Can Duke Energy (DUK) Justify Its Price As Its Higher Dividend Draws Attention?
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina leaders and regulators are pressuring Duke Energy to make its federal data-center pledge legally binding. This could support accountability and customer trust, but it also raises regulatory scrutiny around future growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory criticism of Duke’s proposed rate increases remains a headwind, with North Carolina’s attorney general saying the lowered request is still too high. That could add pressure to future profitability if rate approvals become more difficult.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.