IFP Advisors Inc Has $5.27 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• IFP Advisors Inc boosted its Duke Energy stake by 80.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 44,936 shares valued at about $5.27 million.
• Duke Energy reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, posting $1.93 EPS versus the $1.87 consensus and revenue of $9.18 billion, up 11.3% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, implying an annualized yield of 3.4%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $139.67.

IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 80.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,936 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 20,005 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,267,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. EWA LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.9% in the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 2,203 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.6% in the third quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,854 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 324 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.1% in the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,858 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $972,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Capitol Sec Mgt cut Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $141.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.67.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy’s latest earnings call highlighted progress on its large growth plan, reinforcing the company’s long-term earnings and capital investment story. Duke Energy EPS Jumps as Massive Growth Plan Advances

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $123.82 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.39 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $96.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 0.41. The company's 50-day moving average is $128.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.01.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 24,462 shares of company stock valued at $3,048,426 in the last ninety days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by 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.

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