Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Invests $731,000 in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Securities LLC has made a new investment of approximately $731,000 in Duke Energy Corporation, acquiring 5,992 shares during the first quarter.
• Recent insider activity includes Duke Energy executives selling a combined total of 8,700 shares, indicating a 9.26% and 12.61% decrease in their ownership respective to their sales.
• Duke Energy has recently raised its quarterly dividend from $1.05 to $1.065 per share, reflecting a positive change and a yield of 3.5%.

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,992 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $731,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. GQG Partners LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 17,880.0% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 10,249,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,250,133,000 after acquiring an additional 10,192,503 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth about $702,351,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 88.1% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 4,861,309 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $592,934,000 after buying an additional 2,276,948 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,562,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,094,327,000 after buying an additional 1,676,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 14,268.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,663,183 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $202,858,000 after buying an additional 1,651,608 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK traded down $0.59 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $120.91. 3,069,626 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,532,266. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $127.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.79.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. 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. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.62.

Insider Activity

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

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.