Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Sold by Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC

Key Points

• Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC cut its Duke Energy stake by 48% in the second quarter, selling 9,256 shares and retaining 10,020 shares valued at approximately $1.27 million.
• Duke Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating analyst expectations of $1.30, while revenue reached $7.59 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $138.44.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.085 per share, or $4.34 annually, representing a yield of about 3.5%; shares recently traded near $123.83.

Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC reduced its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 48.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,020 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,256 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,825,000 after buying an additional 3,797 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 1.0% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,686,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. AXA S.A. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 523.4% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,983,000 after buying an additional 35,458 shares during the period. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter worth $954,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. KeyCorp raised Duke Energy from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $139.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Evercore boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.44.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5%

DUK opened at $123.83 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $125.77 and its 200-day moving average is $126.53. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.085 dividend. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.96%.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utilities could benefit from rising electricity demand tied to the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence data centers. The trend supports Duke Energy’s long-term generation and grid-investment opportunity, although the referenced article focuses on utility ETFs rather than DUK specifically. Utility ETFs to Buy as Rapid AI Buildout Sparks Energy Crisis
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy has restored most power after severe storms in Greater Cincinnati, with nearly 223,000 outages addressed and crews working to restore the remaining customers. Faster restoration limits prolonged service disruption and reputational damage. Duke Energy restores 85% of Greater Cincinnati outages
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 for North Carolina small-business programs and emergency grants for storm recovery in Ohio and Kentucky. The initiatives may support community relations but are not financially material to DUK. Duke Energy invests $500,000 to help small businesses
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy completed the sale of 40 million equity units. The financing provides capital for infrastructure and growth, but the additional equity can dilute existing shareholders and signals substantial funding needs. Duke Energy Completes Major Equity Units Financing Offering
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is challenging a proposed 6.8% residential rate increase and rejecting the related settlement. Regulatory opposition raises uncertainty over Duke’s ability to recover costs and earn its targeted returns. AG Jeff Jackson rejects Duke Energy settlement
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed Duke Energy plant is drawing opposition in Davie and Davidson counties, creating potential permitting, construction and political obstacles. More than 2,000 customers also remained without power during severe storms, highlighting near-term reliability and restoration costs. Duke Energy plant proposal draws opposition

About Duke Energy

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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