GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. Grows Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. significantly increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation by 326.8%, now owning 8,271 shares valued at approximately $1,009,000.
• Several hedge funds also added to their positions in Duke Energy, with institutional investors owning 65.31% of the stock overall.
• Duke Energy has raised its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous quarter's $1.05.

GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. lifted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 326.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,271 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,333 shares during the period. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,009,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.62.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $120.58. 1,980,185 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,672,641. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $127.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market cap of $93.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.92.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

About Duke Energy

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.