Guggenheim Capital LLC Acquires 29,289 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation by 11.4% after acquiring an additional 29,289 shares, bringing its total to 286,627 shares valued at approximately $34.96 million.
• Duke Energy plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, up from the previous $1.05, with an annual yield of 3.5%.
• Analysts have given Duke Energy a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating, with target prices ranging from $127.00 to $138.00.

Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 11.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 286,627 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 29,289 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $34,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 31.6% during the 1st quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 346 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 27,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,356,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% 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, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $123.26 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $127.85. The company has a 50 day moving average of $120.11 and a 200-day moving average of $118.50. 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 market cap of $95.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.36.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

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.

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