Capital Research Global Investors Has $590.96 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Capital Research Global Investors increased its Duke Energy stake slightly in the fourth quarter, ending with about 5.04 million shares valued at roughly $590.96 million.
• Duke Energy reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 beating estimates and revenue of $9.18 billion topping forecasts, while analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus target near $138.93.
• The company announced a $1.065 quarterly dividend payable June 16, for an annualized dividend of $4.26 and a yield of about 3.4%; meanwhile, Duke also faces mixed headlines including DOE grant support for plant upgrades and pressure over a proposed 18% rate hike in North Carolina.

Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,041,923 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,698 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors owned approximately 0.65% of Duke Energy worth $590,964,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 497.7% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 282,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,404,000 after acquiring an additional 235,448 shares during the period. DB&C Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $920,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 1,447 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. Havemeyer Place LP acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $142,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc grew its stake in Duke Energy by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 184,418 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $21,616,000 after acquiring an additional 39,230 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.93.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK 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. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.66 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $96.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The business's fifty day moving average is $126.82 and its 200 day moving average is $123.97.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

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

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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