Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Holdings Lowered by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Key Points

• Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in Duke Energy by 8.8% during the second quarter, now owning 505,512 shares valued at approximately $59.65 million.
• Duke Energy's quarterly earnings report revealed an earnings per share of $1.25, missing analysts' estimates, while their revenue increased by 4.7% year-over-year to $7.51 billion.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, reflecting a 3.5% yield based on an annualized payout of $4.26.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH reduced its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 8.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 505,512 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 48,561 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $59,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,214,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,317 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $391,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 3,409 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Trust Co increased its stake in Duke Energy by 41.6% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 4,540 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 1,333 shares during the period. Finally, LVW Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 20,746 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,448,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Duke Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $141.00 to $134.00 in a research note 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 note on Wednesday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.00.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $122.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. 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 fifty day moving average price of $122.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.52. The company has a market cap of $95.64 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.

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