Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Raises Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its Duke Energy stake by 174.1% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 15,727 shares valued at about $1.84 million.
• Several analysts adjusted their views on Duke Energy, but the stock still carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $140; UBS, Mizuho, and others made only modest target changes.
• Duke Energy beat first-quarter expectations, raising EPS to $1.93 on revenue of $9.18 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share for a 3.4% annualized yield.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 174.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,727 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 9,989 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,843,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 13,750.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Capitol Sec Mgt downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.00.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy’s recent first-quarter results came in ahead of expectations, with earnings and revenue both topping estimates, while management reaffirmed its full-year guidance and highlighted a large five-year capital plan, additional data-center power agreements, and DOE loan applications that could support long-term growth and customer savings. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Earnings Beat, Massive Capex Plan And DOE Loan Bid
• Positive Sentiment: Hot weather across the Carolinas could boost electricity demand as air conditioners run longer, which may help near-term utility usage and revenue. 90-degree heat on the way: Take these steps now to keep your home comfortable and manage energy use
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of Duke Energy’s nuclear fleet was constructive, noting record capacity factor performance, which supports the company’s operating reliability and long-term clean-energy strategy. Duke Energy’s Nuclear Playbook: Three Horizons, One Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts made only modest target changes, including JPMorgan, UBS, and Jefferies lowering price targets slightly while still implying upside, so the revisions do not appear to signal a major deterioration in the outlook. JPMorgan adjusts price target on Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by CEO Harry Sideris and CEO Louis E. Renjel may be pressuring sentiment, even though these transactions do not necessarily change Duke Energy’s operating fundamentals. SEC Form 4 filing for CEO share sale

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 24,462 shares of company stock valued at $3,048,426 over the last ninety days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $123.84 on Thursday. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $111.22 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $129.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.10.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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