Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Sells 4,159 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp reduced its stake in Duke Energy by 9.7%, selling 4,159 shares in the second quarter, while still holding 38,770 shares worth approximately $4.57 million.
• Duke Energy reported $1.25 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations by $0.04, despite a 4.7% year-over-year increase in revenue to $7.51 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, with a yield of 3.3%, set to be paid on December 16th to shareholders of record by November 14th.

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,770 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,159 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy comprises approximately 2.5% of Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,575,000 after acquiring an additional 20,942 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its stake in Duke Energy by 9.9% in 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. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 8.1% in 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,656,244 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,055,087,000 after purchasing an additional 93,699 shares during the period. Finally, Resolution Capital Ltd increased its stake in Duke Energy by 7.6% in the first quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 59,995 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,318,000 after purchasing an additional 4,255 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $128.55 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $129.51. 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 company's 50-day simple moving average is $123.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.13. The firm has a market cap of $99.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. The company's revenue 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company's 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 directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on DUK. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $136.77.

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.

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