Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Holdings Trimmed by Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC

Key Points

• Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC cut its Duke Energy stake by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 23,039 shares and leaving it with 74,570 shares valued at about $8.74 million.
• Duke Energy reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, posting $1.93 EPS on $9.18 billion in revenue, both above analyst estimates, with revenue rising 11.3% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, payable June 16, for an annualized yield of 3.4%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $138.93.

Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC reduced its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 23.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 23,039 shares during the quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 497.7% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 282,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,404,000 after buying an additional 235,448 shares during the last quarter. DB&C Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $920,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 1,447 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Havemeyer Place LP bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $142,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 184,418 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $21,616,000 after buying an additional 39,230 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE:DUK opened at $124.28 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $126.82 and a 200-day moving average of $123.98. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $113.66 and a 52 week high of $134.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.93.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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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