ABN Amro Investment Solutions Makes New $3.75 Million Investment in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• ABN Amro Investment Solutions opened a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter, buying 32,006 shares valued at about $3.75 million.
• Duke Energy reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 versus estimates of $1.87 and revenue of $9.18 billion, topping Wall Street forecasts.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 3.4%, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

ABN Amro Investment Solutions bought a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 32,006 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,751,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,462 shares of company stock worth $3,048,426. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.9%

DUK stock opened at $125.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $98.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.26 and a beta of 0.41. The company's 50 day moving average is $128.24 and its 200 day moving average is $124.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.39 and a 1-year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Thursday. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.07.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is being viewed as a potential beneficiary of surging power demand from data centers, which could support future generation growth and regulated utility investment opportunities. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated its bullish view by keeping Duke Energy on its Conviction List and assigning a $132 target, signaling confidence in regulatory progress and the company’s expansion plans. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Utility-sector demand tailwinds linked to AI infrastructure are also supporting sentiment toward Duke Energy and other dividend-paying utilities. These 3 Utility Stocks Have Been Paying Dividends for Decades and AI Data Centers Just Made Them More Valuable
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina lawmakers moved to require approval for replacement nuclear capacity before Duke can retire coal plants, which could slow the company’s transition plans but may also protect near-term generation reliability and earnings visibility. North Carolina lawmakers just moved to block Duke Energy from closing coal plants until new nuclear is approved to replace every lost megawatt
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141 while maintaining an Equalweight rating, a modestly softer analyst signal but still above the recent share price. Morgan Stanley adjusts price target on Duke Energy to 132 from 141
• Neutral Sentiment: Other items, including local outage and customer-service updates, appear operational in nature and are unlikely to materially affect the stock. Power restored for Duke Energy customers in Sullivan County

Duke Energy Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.