Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec Has $2.78 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation by 78.6% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 10,022 shares to reach a total of 22,765 shares valued at approximately $2.78 million.
• Duke Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, reflecting an increase from the previous dividend, and representing a 3.5% yield for shareholders.
• The company's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $1.25, slightly missing analyst expectations, but revenue exceeded predictions at $7.51 billion, marking a 4.7% increase year-over-year.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 78.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,765 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,022 shares during the quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,997 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,537,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $731,000. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 326.8% in the 1st quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. now owns 8,271 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 6,333 shares in the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 25,939 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,164,000 after purchasing an additional 2,259 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.7%

Duke Energy stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $121.19. The stock had a trading volume of 1,042,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,497,462. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on DUK. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.62.

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.