Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management reduced its Duke Energy stake by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, though it still held about 426,984 shares valued at roughly $50 million. Several other institutional investors also adjusted positions, and hedge funds and institutions own about 65.31% of the stock.
• Duke Energy insiders have been selling shares: CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares, and CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares, both reducing their ownership stakes significantly. Insider ownership remains very low at 0.12%.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations and continues to pay a dividend yield of about 3.4%, while analysts remain split with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a price target of $138.93. Recent headlines also highlighted DOE grant funding for plant upgrades, but regulatory concerns remain over a proposed 18% rate hike in North Carolina.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 426,984 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 8,384 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Duke Energy worth $50,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 523.4% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,983,000 after buying an additional 35,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth $954,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.93.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $124.28 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $96.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $126.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.97. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $113.66 and a one year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 65.24%.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

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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