Arkadios Wealth Advisors Purchases 22,191 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 53.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 63,447 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 22,191 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, 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. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays cut their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Capitol Sec Mgt downgraded Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.62.

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.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $126.29 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.89 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $98.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $125.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $126.17.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

About Duke Energy

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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