Focus Partners Wealth Boosts Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth increased its Duke Energy stake by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 61,347 additional shares and lifting its holding to 1,021,996 shares valued at about $120.9 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with Duke Energy carrying an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $138.93. Recent target changes were mixed, but several firms still rate the stock Buy or Outperform.
• Duke Energy beat first-quarter expectations, reporting EPS of $1.93 versus estimates of $1.87 and revenue of $9.18 billion, up 11.3% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, implying an annualized yield of 3.4%.

Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,021,996 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 61,347 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth owned 0.13% of Duke Energy worth $120,876,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 230,375 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 58,375 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $960,139,000 after purchasing an additional 31,703 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.93.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $124.91 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.66 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $126.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.02. The company has a market cap of $97.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary are highlighting Duke Energy as a defensive, low-volatility utility pick as inflation jumps and oil prices surge, which can draw investors toward stable dividend names like DUK. 3 Low-Beta Utility Stocks to Buy as Inflation Jumps to Three-Year High
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Duke Energy could keep rising, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the company’s earnings outlook, utility stability, and rate-driven growth profile. Duke Energy: Why This Utility Could Keep Rising
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy received up to $96 million in federal coal plant grants, which could help offset refurbishment costs and support grid reliability without passing as much expense to customers. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Winning US$96 Million In Federal Coal Plant Grants
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive, with Duke Energy carrying an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation. Duke Energy Corporation NYSE: DUK Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

About Duke Energy

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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