Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Bought by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.5%, acquiring 2,259 additional shares, making its total worth approximately $3.16 million.
• Duke Energy recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $1.05 to $1.065 per share, resulting in a 3.5% annual dividend yield.
• The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the last quarter, which missed estimates by $0.04, despite a year-over-year revenue increase of 4.7% to $7.51 billion.

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 9.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,939 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,259 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased 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 acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.29 on Friday, reaching $120.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,980,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,672,641. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.92. 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 1 year low of $105.20 and a 1 year high of $127.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Nine equities research 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 a consensus price target of $130.62.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

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.