Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Acquired by Bayforest Capital Ltd

Key Points

• Bayforest Capital Ltd significantly increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 9,314.1%, acquiring 7,265 additional shares in the first quarter, now totaling 7,343 shares valued at $896,000.
• Several other institutional investors have also recently adjusted their positions, showing a strong interest in Duke Energy, with 65.31% of the stock being owned by institutional entities.
• Duke Energy has declared a new quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, reflecting a 3.5% yield, which is an increase from the previous dividend of $1.05.

Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 9,314.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,343 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 7,265 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $121.96. The stock had a trading volume of 2,136,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,491,651. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $121.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.15. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $127.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

About Duke Energy

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.