11,200 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Bought by SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd.

Key Points

• SBI Okasan Asset Management bought a new stake in Duke Energy, purchasing 11,200 shares worth about $1.316 million in the fourth quarter.
• Recent insider selling included CEO Louis E. Renjel selling 3,500 shares and CEO Harry K. Sideris selling 20,000 shares, trimming their ownership positions.
• Duke Energy reported better-than-expected quarterly results, raised its profile with a $1.065 quarterly dividend (3.4% yield), and continued to draw mixed analyst views with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 11,200 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,316,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13,750.0% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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 was named among the utilities to watch as wind energy adoption and broader clean-power demand continue to rise, which could support long-term load growth and investment opportunities. Top Wind Energy Stocks to Watch Amid Increased Adoption of Clean Energy
• Positive Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants to improve hurricane preparedness in North Carolina, reinforcing its focus on storm readiness and community resilience ahead of hurricane season. Ahead of hurricane season, Duke Energy Foundation awards $500,000 to strengthen storm preparedness across North Carolina
• Positive Sentiment: South Carolina regulators approved Duke Energy’s new nonresidential demand response program, which lets customers earn bill credits while helping the utility manage peak demand and improve grid reliability. New Duke Energy program helps South Carolina nonresidential customers lower costs while supporting a growing grid
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles note that investors are closely watching Duke Energy’s shares, but they do not point to a major new fundamental catalyst by themselves. Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141 while keeping an Equal Weight rating, which may temper sentiment but does not indicate a bearish call. Morgan Stanley Revises Duke Energy (DUK) Valuation Following Utility Sector Update
• Negative Sentiment: News that the Supreme Court affirmed Duke Energy’s rate hikes may keep regulatory risk in focus, since approved increases can still draw political and customer scrutiny. Duke Energy rate hikes affirmed by Supreme Court

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DUK. UBS Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $139.07.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $123.70 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.39 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The business's fifty day moving average price is $127.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.43 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94 and a beta of 0.41.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

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