Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $48.97 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 374,011 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 26,744 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $48,973,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,172,709,000 after buying an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,266,675,000 after acquiring an additional 230,375 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,046,818,000 after acquiring an additional 58,375 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $960,139,000 after purchasing an additional 31,703 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp reiterated an Overweight rating on Duke Energy and raised its longer-term earnings outlook, nudging up FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029 EPS estimates. The firm also kept a $139 price target, suggesting confidence in Duke’s earnings growth trajectory.
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy unveiled its Customer Protection Plus framework, designed to support rapid data center-driven power demand while aiming to deliver billions in customer savings. Investors may view this as a constructive way to monetize infrastructure growth without triggering excessive pushback from customers. Duke Energy (DUK) Unveils Customer Savings Plan To Back Data Center Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, reinforcing Duke Energy’s appeal as an income stock and helping attract dividend-focused investors. Can Duke Energy (DUK) Justify Its Price As Its Higher Dividend Draws Attention?
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina leaders and regulators are pressuring Duke Energy to make its federal data-center pledge legally binding. This could support accountability and customer trust, but it also raises regulatory scrutiny around future growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory criticism of Duke’s proposed rate increases remains a headwind, with North Carolina’s attorney general saying the lowered request is still too high. That could add pressure to future profitability if rate approvals become more difficult.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.0%

DUK opened at $130.54 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50 day moving average of $125.30 and a 200-day moving average of $125.79.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. Duke Energy's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.085 per share. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Capitol Sec Mgt downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.62.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy 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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