Integrity Alliance LLC. Makes New Investment in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Integrity Alliance LLC invested approximately $510,000 in Duke Energy Corporation, acquiring 4,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock in the first quarter.
• Duke Energy announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.065, up from $1.05, representing a 3.5% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 69.27%.
• Barclays and UBS have upgraded their target prices for Duke Energy, with Barclays increasing it to $131.00 and UBS to $127.00, indicating positive analyst sentiment toward the stock.

Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 4,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $510,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. GQG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 17,880.0% in the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 10,249,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,250,133,000 after buying an additional 10,192,503 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $702,351,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 88.1% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 4,861,309 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $592,934,000 after buying an additional 2,276,948 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,562,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,094,327,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 14,268.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,663,183 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $202,858,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,608 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.7%

Duke Energy stock traded down $2.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $120.31. 4,158,352 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,485,418. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $121.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.22. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $127.85. The company has a market cap of $93.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.39.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The company had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is presently 69.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $130.62.

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.