Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Position Increased by AQR Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 67.3%, acquiring an additional 473,745 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 1.18 million shares valued at $143 million.
• Duke Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.065 per share, up from $1.05, representing a 3.5% dividend yield and reflecting the company's robust financial performance.
• Despite missing earnings expectations in its last report, Duke Energy's revenue grew by 4.7% year-over-year, and the company forecasts EPS guidance for FY 2025 between 6.170 and 6.420.

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 67.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,177,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 473,745 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.15% of Duke Energy worth $143,089,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 17.5% in the first quarter. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC now owns 3,302 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 3.5% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 42,946 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,238,000 after purchasing an additional 1,442 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 18.1% in the first quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,468 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 359.1% in the first quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,132,613 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $138,145,000 after acquiring an additional 885,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 78.6% during the 1st quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 22,765 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,777,000 after buying an additional 10,022 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.3%

DUK traded down $0.41 during trading on Monday, hitting $120.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,067,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,520,314. The stock has a market cap of $93.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.55, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $121.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.01. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $105.20 and a twelve month high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 69.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $130.62.

Insider Activity

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

Duke Energy 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.