Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Acquired by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Level Four Advisory Services LLC has increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation by 14.5%, acquiring an additional 4,719 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 37,325 shares valued at $4.55 million.
• Duke Energy plans to increase its quarterly dividend to $1.065, representing a 3.4% yield, which is a rise from the previous dividend of $1.05 and indicates a positive trend in shareholder returns.
• Multiple analysts maintain a generally positive outlook on Duke Energy's stock, with a consensus average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of approximately $129.80.

Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 14.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,325 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,719 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $309,000. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $222,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,891,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $203,815,000 after purchasing an additional 49,150 shares during the period. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 24,942 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,687,000 after buying an additional 2,935 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.07.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK traded up $0.0740 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $124.2140. The company had a trading volume of 2,182,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,497,655. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $127.85. The firm has a market cap of $96.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. The firm'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. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.