Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Holdings Decreased by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation by 21.9%, owning 169,826 shares after selling 47,634 shares during the first quarter, with a total value of approximately $20.7 million.
• Multiple hedge funds increased their stakes in Duke Energy, with GQG Partners LLC significantly growing their position by 17,880%, now owning over 10 million shares worth $1.25 billion.
• Duke Energy announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, which results in a yield of 3.5% and reflects an increase from the previous dividend of $1.05.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd cut its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 21.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 169,826 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 47,634 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $20,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 338.6% during the 1st quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 29,153 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 7.7% during the 1st 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 increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 9.9% during the 1st 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. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 8.1% during the 1st 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. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.1% during the 1st 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $0.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $121.96. 2,136,379 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,491,651. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $105.20 and a 1 year high of $127.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $121.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 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 (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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 analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a 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 note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.62.

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.