Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Has $39.85 Million Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Crawford Investment Counsel reduced its stake in Duke Energy by 8.7%, selling 30,750 shares in the quarter to hold 321,990 shares valued at about $39.85 million.
• Duke announced a $6 billion common-stock offering and completed a $1.5 billion 3.000% convertible note, moves that could dilute existing shareholders and pressure the share price.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065 (annualized $4.26, ~3.2% yield) and has a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with a $137.80 price target; shares were trading near $133.17.

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 8.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 321,990 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 30,750 shares during the quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $39,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised 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. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 91.9% during the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,428 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in Duke Energy by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 60,663 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on DUK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $139.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $137.80.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $133.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $103.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $123.95 and a 200-day moving average of $122.63. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $111.22 and a 12-month high of $134.12.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The business had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.41%.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory progress — Duke secured settlement support for its planned Carolinas utility combination, clearing a key hurdle toward consolidation and potential regulatory approval that could simplify operations and reduce costs. Duke Energy secures settlement support for Carolinas utility combination
• Positive Sentiment: Clean-energy growth — Duke opened its largest battery-storage facility in Knightdale, expanding firming capacity for renewables and supporting long-term earnings stability as the utility transitions generation mix. Duke Energy’s largest battery storage facility now open in Knightdale
• Positive Sentiment: Community resilience programs — The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500k in HERO grants to strengthen emergency preparedness across South Carolina, a modest but constructive CSR/operational resilience signal. SC agencies, nonprofits eligible for Duke Energy’s $500K emergency preparedness grants
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt/maturity management — Duke completed a $1.5B offering of 3.000% convertible notes, which helps refinance near-term maturities and preserves liquidity, though convertibles carry potential future dilution. Duke Energy Completes $1.5 Billion Convertible Notes Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational update — Local outage restoration updates (e.g., New Whiteland) and community feeding programs show steady operational responsiveness but have limited market impact. Duke Energy: Power should be back on in New Whiteland by 4 p.m. Duke Energy teams up with Blessings in a Backpack to feed Floyd County students over spring break
• Negative Sentiment: Major equity raise announced — Duke disclosed a $6 billion common-stock offering, which is likely why some investors are cautious: a large follow-on can materially dilute existing shareholders and pressure the share price despite funding needs. Duke Energy (DUK) Announces $6 Billion Common Stock Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political pushback — North Carolina residents are raising alarms over rising energy bills and pushing for audits amid rate-hike requests; public opposition can complicate ratemaking and future returns. NC residents sound alarm over rising energy bills, demand audit of Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Local legal dispute — A homeowner is fighting Duke in a high-profile Lake Norman boats lawsuit, a reputational/legal overhang with modest direct financial risk but possible local regulatory attention. Woman fights Duke Energy lawsuit that wants her famous big boats off Lake Norman

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Company 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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