Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Purchased by Clough Capital Partners L P

Clough Capital Partners L P raised its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 13.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,522 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,170 shares during the quarter. Clough Capital Partners L P’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sharp Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.5% in the first quarter. Sharp Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2.3% during the first quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,648 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $478,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Elm Partners Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Elm Partners Management LLC now owns 9,254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Truist Financial upped their price objective 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 target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 price target on Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus 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.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $130.54 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $125.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.38. 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 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. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.