9,301 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Acquired by Advisortrust Partners LLC

Key Points

• Advisortrust Partners LLC reported a new fourth-quarter stake in Duke Energy, buying 9,301 shares valued at about $1.09 million.
• Duke Energy recently beat earnings expectations, posting $1.93 EPS versus the $1.87 estimate, while revenue of $9.18 billion also topped forecasts and rose 11.3% year over year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, equal to an annualized $4.26 dividend and a yield of about 3.4%; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $138.07.

Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,301 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,090,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $123.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $96.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.89 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 has a 50-day moving average of $125.43 and a 200-day moving average of $124.06.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm'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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is being highlighted as one of the large-cap dividend stocks that retirees are quietly buying, reinforcing its appeal as a steady income name for investors looking for yield and defensive cash flow. 3 Stocks Retirees Are Quietly Loading Up on in June
• Positive Sentiment: Another article also grouped Duke Energy with other utility stocks viewed as sources of passive income, which may support investor interest in the stock’s defensive dividend profile. 3 Utility Stocks For Years of Passive Income
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its price target on Duke Energy only modestly to $135 from $139 while keeping an outperform rating, suggesting analysts still see upside from current levels. Mizuho PT Lowered to $135 at Mizuho
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida issued a customer energy-use reminder ahead of summer, which is routine utility communications and not likely to materially move the stock. Summer starts June 21: Duke Energy Florida highlights five key appliances to help customers manage energy use
• Neutral Sentiment: Several local outage reports and safety demonstrations are operational headlines that reflect day-to-day utility issues rather than a major change in Duke Energy’s earnings outlook. Duke Energy: Hundreds of customers without power in Greenville County
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage about a regulator sitting out Duke Energy carbon plan decisions and a separate story about a city examining whether to leave the utility add a bit of regulatory and political uncertainty. Pro-coal state regulator won’t participate in Duke Energy Carbon Plan decisions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading commentary noted that Duke Energy has been declining more than the broader market, indicating some near-term pressure on shares. Duke Energy (DUK) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.07.

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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