Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock: Payden & Rygel Trims Stake

Key Points

• Payden & Rygel cut its Duke Energy stake by 17.6% in the third quarter, selling 33,970 shares and retaining 159,140 shares valued at approximately $18.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 65.31% of the company.
• Duke Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating estimates of $1.30, while revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $7.59 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.085, equivalent to a 3.4% annualized yield.
• The stock traded at $127.39, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $132.19 target price. Growth opportunities include a proposed South Carolina large-load tariff and expanded renewable capacity, although concerns remain about demand forecasts and infrastructure returns.

Payden & Rygel reduced its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 159,140 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 33,970 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up 1.4% of Payden & Rygel's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Payden & Rygel's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $18,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 154.6% during the first quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE:DUK opened at $127.39 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.26. The stock has a market cap of $99.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $112.40 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.66.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 12th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $132.19.

Duke Energy Company 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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