Amundi Lowers Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Amundi lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 26.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,945,496 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 716,964 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned 0.25% of Duke Energy worth $254,743,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,266,675,000 after purchasing an additional 230,375 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,046,818,000 after purchasing an additional 58,375 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Duke Energy by 0.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $960,139,000 after purchasing an additional 31,703 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $126.29 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $125.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $126.17. 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 (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.085 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is expected to report year-over-year second-quarter EPS growth, supported by ongoing grid investment, rising electricity demand and recent infrastructure milestones. The earnings preview may reinforce the company’s long-term growth narrative ahead of its results. Duke Energy to Release Q2 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans to employ about 1,000 workers on multibillion-dollar electricity and natural-gas projects in North Carolina. The projects could expand Duke’s regulated asset base and position it to benefit from increasing regional power demand, although they also require substantial capital spending. Duke Energy to employ 1,000 to build multibillion-dollar power projects
• Positive Sentiment: Installation of underground power lines on Horatio Avenue should improve grid resilience and reliability, though the immediate financial impact is likely limited. Duke Energy starts installing underground power lines on Horatio Avenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings results from other utilities, including WEC Energy, Exelon, NorthWestern and FirstEnergy, highlight continued benefits from rate-base growth, transmission investment and data-center demand. These reports offer a constructive sector backdrop but do not directly change Duke Energy’s earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $300,000 in grants for more than 30 organizations serving older South Carolinians. The initiative supports community relations but is unlikely to materially affect earnings or valuation. Duke Energy Foundation provides $300,000 in grants
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina regulators reportedly reduced a proposed Duke Energy rate increase nearly by half, although customer bills would still rise. The lower approved increase could constrain near-term revenue and earnings growth relative to Duke’s request. North Carolina Duke Energy rate hike is cut nearly in half
• Negative Sentiment: DUK declined while the market gained, indicating investors may be taking profits or reducing exposure before the Q2 earnings release. The stock’s move appears more tied to positioning and rate-case concerns than to a new earnings miss.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company's 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 $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. KeyCorp raised Duke Energy from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $139.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.62.

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.

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