Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $133.78 Million Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Duke Energy stake by 18.2% in the second quarter, acquiring 162,856 additional shares for a total holding valued at approximately $133.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 65.31% of Duke Energy.
• Duke Energy reported strong second-quarter results, with adjusted EPS of $1.43 beating the $1.30 consensus estimate, and reaffirmed its 2026 EPS guidance of $6.55–$6.80. The company also cited potential data-center and industrial demand requiring $5 billion–$10 billion in additional capital investment.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.085 per share, or $4.34 annualized, producing a 3.5% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $138.44, though planned equity issuance of up to $10 billion could dilute shareholders.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,056,922 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 162,856 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.14% of Duke Energy worth $133,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.2% during the fourth 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. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth 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. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 13.1% during 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 grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.4% during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 results: Duke reported adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share, ahead of the $1.30 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $7.59 billion. The company reaffirmed its 2026 EPS guidance of $6.55-$6.80 and its target for 5%-7% annual EPS growth through 2030. Duke Energy Q2 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Large-load growth opportunity: Duke said contracted data-center and industrial demand could create $5 billion-$10 billion of additional capital investment, with new loads expected to begin taking power in late 2027. Its data-center pipeline has increased by 2.7 gigawatts since late 2025, potentially supporting regulated rate-base growth and long-term earnings. Duke Energy data-center pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Lower-cost North Carolina rate plan: Duke Energy Progress reached a stakeholder agreement that cuts the proposed rate increase by more than half while preserving infrastructure investment. Duke will also provide an additional $10 million for customers in need, reducing near-term regulatory friction. Duke Energy Progress rate agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain above the market price: Barclays and BMO lowered their price targets to $132 but retained bullish ratings of “overweight” and “outperform,” respectively, implying roughly 7% upside based on the cited price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Hotter-than-normal summer weather in Florida is boosting electricity demand and could support near-term utility sales, although higher usage also increases customer bills and system strain. Duke Energy Florida summer demand
• Negative Sentiment: Equity issuance and execution risk: Duke plans to issue up to $10 billion in equity to fund more than $1 billion per month of investment in generation and infrastructure. The financing could dilute existing shareholders and raises questions about capital requirements and returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal pushback: North Carolina advocates argue Duke has overstated demand projections, while the governor supports a challenge to a proposed rate hike. Separate legal opposition targets Duke and Amazon’s plans to use diesel generation for a North Carolina data center, creating uncertainty around project timing and costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent outages affecting thousands of customers in North Carolina are operational blemishes, though their limited duration makes a material financial impact unlikely.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $123.73 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.89 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market cap of $96.47 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $125.57 and a 200-day moving average of $126.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. Duke Energy's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.085 per share. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 63.96%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $139.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Capitol Sec Mgt lowered shares of Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.44.

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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