Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $54.23 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in Duke Energy by 4.8%, selling 22,482 shares and leaving them with 444,601 shares valued at approximately $54.2 million.
• Several large investors, including Vanguard Group and GQG Partners LLC, have increased their investments in Duke Energy, contributing to institutional investors owning 65.31% of the stock.
• Duke Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.065 per share, marking an annualized yield of 3.5% and reflecting strong performance in the utility sector.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 444,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 22,482 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.06% of Duke Energy worth $54,228,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 21,557 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,323,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 51,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,586,000 after buying an additional 6,542 shares in the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. grew its position in Duke Energy by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 2,644 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Duke Energy by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,001,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $862,036,000 after buying an additional 499,652 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of DUK traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $122.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,151,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,286,574. The firm has a market cap of $95.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $127.85. 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 moving average of $120.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.64.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 business 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%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.27%.

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.