Empowered Funds LLC Buys 8,583 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Empowered Funds increased its Duke Energy stake by 20% in the first quarter, purchasing 8,583 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 51,520 shares valued at approximately $6.75 million. Institutional investors collectively own 65.31% of the company.
• Duke Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating estimates by $0.13, while revenue reached $7.59 billion and rose 1.1% year over year. Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $138.44, compared with a share price of $123.83.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.085 per share, equivalent to an annualized $4.34 dividend and a 3.5% yield. Potential headwinds include shareholder dilution from a 40-million-unit equity sale and regulatory opposition to a proposed North Carolina rate increase.

Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,520 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,583 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,746,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management raised its position in Duke Energy by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. KeyCorp raised shares of Duke Energy from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $139.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.44.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:DUK opened at $123.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.77 and a 200 day moving average of $126.53. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.085 dividend. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 63.96%.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utilities could benefit from rising electricity demand tied to the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence data centers. The trend supports Duke Energy’s long-term generation and grid-investment opportunity, although the referenced article focuses on utility ETFs rather than DUK specifically. Utility ETFs to Buy as Rapid AI Buildout Sparks Energy Crisis
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy has restored most power after severe storms in Greater Cincinnati, with nearly 223,000 outages addressed and crews working to restore the remaining customers. Faster restoration limits prolonged service disruption and reputational damage. Duke Energy restores 85% of Greater Cincinnati outages
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 for North Carolina small-business programs and emergency grants for storm recovery in Ohio and Kentucky. The initiatives may support community relations but are not financially material to DUK. Duke Energy invests $500,000 to help small businesses
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy completed the sale of 40 million equity units. The financing provides capital for infrastructure and growth, but the additional equity can dilute existing shareholders and signals substantial funding needs. Duke Energy Completes Major Equity Units Financing Offering
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is challenging a proposed 6.8% residential rate increase and rejecting the related settlement. Regulatory opposition raises uncertainty over Duke’s ability to recover costs and earn its targeted returns. AG Jeff Jackson rejects Duke Energy settlement
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed Duke Energy plant is drawing opposition in Davie and Davidson counties, creating potential permitting, construction and political obstacles. More than 2,000 customers also remained without power during severe storms, highlighting near-term reliability and restoration costs. Duke Energy plant proposal draws opposition

Duke Energy Company Profile

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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