Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Position Decreased by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 36.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,531 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,732 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $771,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Duke Energy by 98.1% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.62.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $120.95 on Thursday. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $127.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $121.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.24. The stock has a market cap of $94.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.39. 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 (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. The company'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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

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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