Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 26,230 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 19.8%, holding 158,998 shares worth approximately $19.4 million at the end of the first quarter.
• Duke Energy's recent earnings report showed a miss in EPS at $1.25, below the expected $1.29, but revenues increased by 4.7% to $7.51 billion year-over-year.
• The company announced a higher quarterly dividend of $1.065 to be paid to shareholders, up from $1.05, representing an annualized yield of 3.5%.

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 19.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,998 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 26,230 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $19,393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 212.8% during the fourth quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 79,989 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,618,000 after purchasing an additional 54,413 shares during the period. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 338.6% during the first quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 29,153 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 7.7% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,575,000 after purchasing an additional 20,942 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 9.9% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 127,419 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,451,000 after purchasing an additional 11,445 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 8.1% during the first quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 51,354 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,264,000 after purchasing an additional 3,837 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of DUK traded up $0.0740 on Friday, reaching $124.2140. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,182,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,497,655. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $105.20 and a twelve month high of $127.85. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $119.78 and a 200-day moving average of $118.35.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.27%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.07.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.