Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Bought by Edgar Lomax Co. VA

Key Points

• Edgar Lomax Co. VA increased its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation by 156.5%, acquiring an additional 227,485 shares during the first quarter, which represents a portfolio value of approximately $45.47 million.
• Duke Energy recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, reflecting a positive shift from its previous dividend of $1.05 and an annualized yield of 3.5%.
• The company's latest quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $1.25, below the expected $1.29, while revenue was $7.51 billion, outperforming estimates and marking a year-over-year increase of 4.7%.

Edgar Lomax Co. VA increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 156.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 372,841 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 227,485 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 2.8% of Edgar Lomax Co. VA's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Edgar Lomax Co. VA's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $45,475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Korea Investment CORP boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.1% in the first quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 639,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $78,003,000 after acquiring an additional 13,424 shares in the last quarter. Qtron Investments LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 10.7% in the first quarter. Qtron Investments LLC now owns 15,179 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Sand Hill Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at $203,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 19.8% in the first quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 158,998 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $19,393,000 after acquiring an additional 26,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.9% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,153,615 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $994,496,000 after acquiring an additional 152,542 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK traded up $0.0740 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $124.2140. 2,182,540 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,581,147. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.27. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $127.85. The company has a market cap of $96.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

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