Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Takes Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 4,934 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $578,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $86,309,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 447.3% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 513,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,235,000 after purchasing an additional 420,005 shares during the period. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 19.1% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,613,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $323,432,000 after purchasing an additional 419,992 shares during the period. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 178.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 505,891 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $59,376,000 after purchasing an additional 323,991 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $125.30 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $127.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.05. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.39 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66.

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, beating 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 firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.24%.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: South Carolina regulators approved Duke Energy’s new PowerShare Storage program, which lets nonresidential customers earn bill credits by using storage assets to help manage peak demand. The move supports grid reliability while creating a customer-friendly revenue opportunity. New Duke Energy program helps South Carolina nonresidential customers lower costs while supporting a growing grid
• Positive Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation awarded $130,000 to Florida organizations for storm preparedness and community resiliency ahead of hurricane season, reinforcing the company’s focus on protecting critical infrastructure and reducing outage risk. Ahead of hurricane season, Duke Energy Foundation awards $130,000 to 10 organizations advancing storm preparedness and community resiliency
• Positive Sentiment: Another report said Duke Energy grants in Florida are tied to long-term grid resilience and storm readiness, which may help reduce operational disruptions and support its regulated utility profile. Duke Energy Grants Tie Florida Storm Readiness To Long Term Grid Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141 but kept an Equal Weight rating, suggesting a more cautious valuation view rather than a major change in fundamentals. Morgan Stanley Revises Duke Energy (DUK) Valuation Following Utility Sector Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting that utilities have lagged Duke Energy this year appears more descriptive than catalytic, and is unlikely to be a major near-term driver by itself. Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Duke Energy (DUK) This Year?
• Negative Sentiment: The stock may face some pressure from commentary highlighting that Duke Energy has already rallied relative to peers, while broader utility-sector performance remains mixed. Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Duke Energy (DUK) This Year?
• Positive Sentiment: A report that Duke Energy rate hikes were affirmed by the Supreme Court is supportive for earnings visibility and regulated returns, which is generally favorable for utility investors. Duke Energy rate hikes affirmed by Supreme Court

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DUK. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.