17,445 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Purchased by MidFirst Bank

Key Points

• MidFirst Bank disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Duke Energy, buying 17,445 shares valued at about $2.05 million.
• Duke Energy continues to attract institutional interest, with 65.31% of shares held by institutions and several other funds recently adding or initiating positions.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on the stock, with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $138.07, even as some firms trimmed targets slightly.

MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 17,445 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,045,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in 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 bought a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on DUK shares. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Capitol Sec Mgt cut shares of Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.07.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho trimmed its price target on Duke Energy to $135 from $139, but kept an Outperform rating, still implying upside from current levels. Street Insider article
• Positive Sentiment: Investor-focused coverage highlighted Duke Energy as one of several utility stocks offering long-term passive income appeal, reinforcing the stock’s defensive, income-oriented profile. 247WallSt article
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy’s safety demonstration for Pinellas County law enforcement was a routine community/outreach event, with limited direct impact on earnings or valuation. Yahoo News article
• Neutral Sentiment: Power outages and restorations in local service areas, including reports of customers temporarily without electricity, are operational headlines that may create short-term noise but do not by themselves change the investment thesis. MSN article
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory and local-government coverage, including a commissioner being barred from a planning vote and Clearwater’s review of Duke Energy property, adds uncertainty around future utility planning and municipal relations, but the near-term stock impact is unclear. Yahoo News article
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting that Duke Energy declined more than the market in the latest session may be reinforcing bearish trading momentum in the shares. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: A pro-coal state regulator stepping away from Duke Energy carbon plan decisions could increase uncertainty around the company’s long-term generation strategy and regulatory process. WFAE article

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $123.84 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $96.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.06. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 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 the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. 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.

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.

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