Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Has $15.55 Million Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Axxcess Wealth Management increased its Duke Energy stake by 273.1% in the fourth quarter, holding 132,671 shares worth about $15.55 million after buying 97,110 more shares.
• Several other institutions also boosted their positions, and institutional investors now own 65.31% of Duke Energy’s stock, highlighting continued professional interest in the utility.
• Duke Energy reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue, and it also declared a $1.065 quarterly dividend payable June 16, implying an annualized yield of about 3.4%.

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 273.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 132,671 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 97,110 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $15,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,686,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. AXA S.A. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 523.4% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,983,000 after acquiring an additional 35,458 shares during the period. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $954,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company'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 transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,462 shares of company stock worth $3,048,426. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is being viewed as a potential beneficiary of surging power demand from data centers, which could support future generation growth and regulated utility investment opportunities. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated its bullish view by keeping Duke Energy on its Conviction List and assigning a $132 target, signaling confidence in regulatory progress and the company’s expansion plans. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Utility-sector demand tailwinds linked to AI infrastructure are also supporting sentiment toward Duke Energy and other dividend-paying utilities. These 3 Utility Stocks Have Been Paying Dividends for Decades and AI Data Centers Just Made Them More Valuable
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina lawmakers moved to require approval for replacement nuclear capacity before Duke can retire coal plants, which could slow the company’s transition plans but may also protect near-term generation reliability and earnings visibility. North Carolina lawmakers just moved to block Duke Energy from closing coal plants until new nuclear is approved to replace every lost megawatt
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141 while maintaining an Equalweight rating, a modestly softer analyst signal but still above the recent share price. Morgan Stanley adjusts price target on Duke Energy to 132 from 141
• Neutral Sentiment: Other items, including local outage and customer-service updates, appear operational in nature and are unlikely to materially affect the stock. Power restored for Duke Energy customers in Sullivan County

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Capitol Sec Mgt cut shares of Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.07.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Duke Energy stock opened at $125.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $98.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.39 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $128.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.02.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Duke Energy Profile

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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