12,714 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Purchased by Ethos Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Ethos Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy, purchasing 12,714 shares valued at approximately $1.55 million during the 1st quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Brighton Jones LLC and First Trust Advisors LP, have recently increased their stakes in Duke Energy, with institutional ownership now at 65.31%.
• Duke Energy has increased its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.5% and a payout ratio of 69.27%.

Ethos Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 12,714 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,551,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 360.0% in the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on DUK. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $129.80.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:DUK traded up $0.5920 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $124.3720. The company had a trading volume of 3,455,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,599,479. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $127.85. The company has a market capitalization of $96.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $119.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.15.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.27%.

Duke Energy Company 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.