Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 8.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 414,551 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 33,435 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.05% of Duke Energy worth $48,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.7% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 291,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,575,000 after purchasing an additional 20,942 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 9.9% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 127,419 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,451,000 after purchasing an additional 11,445 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 8.1% during the first quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 51,354 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,264,000 after purchasing an additional 3,837 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,656,244 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,055,087,000 after purchasing an additional 93,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resolution Capital Ltd lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.6% during the first quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 59,995 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,318,000 after purchasing an additional 4,255 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.
Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7%
DUK stock opened at $126.88 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $123.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $127.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.44.
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Duke Energy Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 69.27%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Duke Energy news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Scotiabank set a $137.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.08.
Read Our Latest Analysis on DUK
Duke Energy Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Recommended Stories
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DUK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider Duke Energy, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Duke Energy wasn't on the list.
While Duke Energy currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Looking to profit from the electric vehicle mega-trend? Enter your email address and we'll send you our list of which EV stocks show the most long-term potential.
Get This Free Report