Ieq Capital LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 50.2% during the first quarter, owning 50,472 shares valued at approximately $6.16 million.
• Duke Energy reported earnings of $1.25 per share for the latest quarter, falling short of analyst estimates, and set FY 2025 guidance at $6.170-6.420 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, reflecting a 3.5% yield and an increase from the previous dividend of $1.05.

Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 50.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 50,472 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 16,871 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the first 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 period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position 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 worth $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 worth $321,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 27,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,356,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% 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 Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $122.45. 2,151,177 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,161,989. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The business's fifty day moving average is $120.59 and its 200 day moving average is $118.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $127.85.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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