Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Bought by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer increased its Duke Energy stake by 2.1% in the third quarter, holding 526,854 shares worth approximately $60.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 65.31% of the utility.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Duke Energy carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $132.19. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.43 versus the $1.30 consensus.
• Duke Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $1.085 per share, or $4.34 annualized, representing a 3.4% yield. Growth drivers include dividend increases, a proposed South Carolina large-load tariff and new renewable capacity, while questions about North Carolina demand forecasts remain a risk.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 526,854 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 10,642 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned about 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $60,089,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $605,680,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 5,254.4% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,735,816 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $358,227,000 after buying an additional 2,684,721 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $244,731,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $100,586,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $88,657,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. HSBC started coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $123.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho set a $136.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $128.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $132.19.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy was highlighted among five high-yield companies that raised their dividend payouts in 2026. Continued dividend growth reinforces the stock’s appeal to income-focused investors and signals confidence in future cash flow. 5 High-Yield Dividend Stocks That Raised Their Payouts in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans to seek a large-load tariff in South Carolina, potentially allowing it to better recover infrastructure costs from major electricity users such as data centers and industrial customers. The move could improve revenue visibility and support investment in grid capacity. Duke Energy to Seek Large Load Tariff for South Carolina
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy completed a 74.9-megawatt solar project in Florida, adding regulated renewable capacity and supporting its clean-energy transition. The project may contribute to long-term rate-base growth, although near-term earnings impact is likely limited. Duke Energy Completes Solar Project in Florida
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings growth and see conditions that could support a beat in Duke Energy’s upcoming report, providing a near-term catalyst for the shares. Duke Energy Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: Compared with Constellation Energy, Duke Energy offers a higher dividend yield, lower valuation and lower volatility, characteristics that may attract investors seeking defensive exposure rather than maximum growth. CEG vs. DUK
• Neutral Sentiment: Local reports described outages after vehicle accidents damaged utility equipment. These incidents are operationally routine and appear unlikely to materially affect Duke Energy’s investment outlook, though restoration costs and customer dissatisfaction remain risks. Duke Energy Reports Outages
• Neutral Sentiment: A contractor was hospitalized after an incident at Oxford Dam, creating a potential safety and liability issue but no reported material financial impact. Duke Energy Contractor Hospitalized
• Negative Sentiment: A report questioned Duke Energy’s North Carolina electricity-demand forecast. If projected demand growth is overstated, expected rate-base expansion and infrastructure returns could be less compelling. A disputed customer bill also adds limited reputational risk. Report Questions Duke Energy Demand Forecast

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $127.39 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $119.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $124.26. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $112.40 and a 1-year high of $134.49.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a $1.0850 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 65.17%.

Duke Energy Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is an energy holding company that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the United States. Its electric utilities generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. The company's generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.

Duke Energy serves customers primarily in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

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