Focus Partners Wealth Raises Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Duke Energy Corporation by 5.1%, owning approximately 740,630 shares valued at $90.34 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Duke Energy recently reported a quarterly earnings miss with earnings per share of $1.25, falling short of the consensus estimate of $1.29, while revenues exceeded expectations at $7.51 billion.
• The company has announced a boosted quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, increasing from the previous amount, and it represents a 3.5% yield annually.

Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 740,630 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 36,207 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth owned about 0.10% of Duke Energy worth $90,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $510,000. Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $1,282,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.3% during the first quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 81,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,943,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust co grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.3% during the first quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 19,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,369,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 140,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $17,076,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:DUK traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $121.96. 2,136,379 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,491,651. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $105.20 and a 1 year high of $127.85. The business's 50-day moving average price is $121.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The business had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Analysts predict 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 will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.62.

Duke Energy Profile

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.