Forsta AP Fonden Decreases Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden reduced its Duke Energy stake by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 37,400 shares and leaving it with 167,300 shares valued at about $19.6 million.
• Duke Energy reported stronger-than-expected Q1 earnings, posting $1.93 EPS versus estimates of $1.87 and revenue of $9.18 billion, up 11.3% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, implying an annualized payout of $4.26 and a yield of about 3.5%.

Forsta AP Fonden cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 167,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 37,400 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $19,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,686,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 523.4% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,983,000 after buying an additional 35,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $954,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $122.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.41. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.39 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company's 50-day moving average is $127.44 and its 200 day moving average is $124.04.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.07.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida announced a third rate reduction this year, cutting residential bills by roughly 25% for summer months, which could improve customer goodwill and political/regulatory relations. Duke Energy Florida implements third rate reduction to lower residential customer bills by approximately 25% in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation awarded $500,000 in North Carolina grants to strengthen hurricane preparedness, underscoring resilience planning ahead of storm season. Ahead of hurricane season, Duke Energy Foundation awards $500,000 to strengthen storm preparedness across North Carolina
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest has been rising in Duke Energy as Zacks highlighted the stock and clean-energy/wind-sector themes that keep DUK in focus. Top Wind Energy Stocks to Watch Amid Increased Adoption of Clean Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Work continues on the $250 million redevelopment of Duke Energy’s former headquarters in uptown Charlotte, a long-term real estate milestone that is not expected to materially change near-term fundamentals. In uptown Charlotte, $250M revamp of old Duke Energy headquarters hits a milestone
• Negative Sentiment: The Florida rate cuts could weigh on revenue growth expectations in Duke Energy’s regulated utility business, even as they support customer affordability. Duke Energy Florida implements third rate reduction to lower residential customer bills by approximately 25% in 2026

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Duke Energy Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DUK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.