CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Boosts Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• CHICAGO TRUST Co NA has increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation by 69.6%, owning a total of 10,221 shares valued at approximately $1.206 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several brokerages have raised their price targets for Duke Energy, with Scotiabank increasing it from $120 to $128, indicating a positive outlook among analysts.
• Duke Energy recently boosted its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, reflecting a 3.5% yield and an increase from the previous $1.05, showcasing its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 69.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,221 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,193 shares during the quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in 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. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, 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 directly owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $121.71 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $121.87 and its 200-day moving average is $119.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). The company had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

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.

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