Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Position Lifted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Key Points

• Franklin Resources boosted its Duke Energy stake by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, buying nearly 955,000 more shares and bringing its holding to about 1.06% of the company.
• Duke Energy reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 beating estimates and revenue of $9.18 billion topping expectations, while management also raised support for future growth from rising power demand tied to data centers.
• The company reaffirmed its income appeal with a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, equal to a 3.4% yield, even as analysts remained mixed with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 954,907 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 1.06% of Duke Energy worth $965,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 185,138 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $21,700,000 after buying an additional 5,649 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $295,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $178,000. Bcwm LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Bcwm LLC now owns 112,106 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $13,140,000 after purchasing an additional 2,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 11,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,292,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $124.28 on Monday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $126.82 and its 200-day moving average is $123.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.66 and a 12-month high of $134.49.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.93.

Key Stories Impacting 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 Activity at Duke Energy

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

Duke Energy 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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