Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Purchases 50,174 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Fort Washington Investment Advisors increased its Duke Energy stake by 10.2%, purchasing 50,174 shares in the second quarter and bringing its holdings to 540,109 shares worth approximately $68.4 million.
• Duke Energy reported quarterly earnings of $1.43 per share, beating estimates of $1.30, while revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $7.59 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $1.06 to $1.085, resulting in a 3.5% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $138.44 versus the stock’s recent price near $123.83, though regulatory opposition to a proposed rate increase and equity financing-related dilution remain risks.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 10.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 540,109 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 50,174 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned approximately 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $68,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,825,000 after buying an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,686,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 523.4% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,983,000 after acquiring an additional 35,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $954,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $123.83 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $125.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The company has a market capitalization of $96.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The company had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.085 dividend. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 63.96%.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utilities could benefit from rising electricity demand tied to the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence data centers. The trend supports Duke Energy’s long-term generation and grid-investment opportunity, although the referenced article focuses on utility ETFs rather than DUK specifically. Utility ETFs to Buy as Rapid AI Buildout Sparks Energy Crisis
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy has restored most power after severe storms in Greater Cincinnati, with nearly 223,000 outages addressed and crews working to restore the remaining customers. Faster restoration limits prolonged service disruption and reputational damage. Duke Energy restores 85% of Greater Cincinnati outages
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 for North Carolina small-business programs and emergency grants for storm recovery in Ohio and Kentucky. The initiatives may support community relations but are not financially material to DUK. Duke Energy invests $500,000 to help small businesses
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy completed the sale of 40 million equity units. The financing provides capital for infrastructure and growth, but the additional equity can dilute existing shareholders and signals substantial funding needs. Duke Energy Completes Major Equity Units Financing Offering
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is challenging a proposed 6.8% residential rate increase and rejecting the related settlement. Regulatory opposition raises uncertainty over Duke’s ability to recover costs and earn its targeted returns. AG Jeff Jackson rejects Duke Energy settlement
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed Duke Energy plant is drawing opposition in Davie and Davidson counties, creating potential permitting, construction and political obstacles. More than 2,000 customers also remained without power during severe storms, highlighting near-term reliability and restoration costs. Duke Energy plant proposal draws opposition

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 price target on Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.44.

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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