Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Boosts Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Mirae Asset increased its stake in Duke Energy by 22.7% in Q4 to 132,530 shares, worth about $15.53 million.
• Duke has asked North Carolina regulators to recover more than $800M in winter fuel and power‑purchase costs, drawing political pushback and heightening regulatory and customer‑rate risk.
• Analysts are mixed — the consensus rating is "Hold" with a $140.20 target despite several price‑target upgrades — and insiders have recently sold shares (CEO sold 6,800 shares), modestly reducing insider ownership.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 22.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,497 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $15,534,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $86,309,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,301,165 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,442,269,000 after purchasing an additional 584,382 shares during the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 19.1% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,613,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $323,432,000 after buying an additional 419,992 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,281,986 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $901,146,000 after buying an additional 288,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 92.8% in the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 522,137 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $64,634,000 after buying an additional 251,257 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke’s community and ESG outreach continues to generate goodwill — the Duke Energy Foundation awarded ~32 grants (~$250k) to revitalize parks and local projects across six states, plus targeted Florida grants. These items help stakeholder relations and local regulatory goodwill. Duke Energy Foundation announces first round of America250 grants to strengthen Florida communities
• Positive Sentiment: Duke highlights longer-term clean-energy positioning and climate financing initiatives, signaling commitment to growth in the energy transition — a strategic positive for long-term investors. Unlocking Trillions for Clean Energy and Climate Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings outlook: Analysts expect modest, single-digit profit growth for Q1 2026; upcoming quarterly results will be a near-term catalyst but projections are not aggressive. What to Expect From Duke Energy's Q1 2026 Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke and peers are increasing grid and clean-energy investments to serve rising AI/data-center demand — this supports long-term demand but requires capital deployment. Duke Energy vs. AES: Which Utility Stock Is the Better Buy Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Duke asked North Carolina regulators to recover more than $800M in winter fuel and power-purchase costs; approval would boost cash flow but the request has drawn political pushback and could pressure customer rates. Duke Energy seeks price increase in North Carolina to recoup winter power costs
• Negative Sentiment: Political opposition: North Carolina’s governor has publicly opposed the ~$800M recovery plan, saying it could raise bills — heightens regulatory uncertainty and reputational risk. Gov. Stein opposes $800M Duke Energy plan, says it could raise NC power bills
• Negative Sentiment: Peer comparison: Analysts/coverage note NextEra Energy (NEE) shows stronger earnings momentum, higher ROE and lower leverage — making DUK relatively less attractive to growth-focused investors. NextEra Energy vs. Duke Energy: Which Utility Stock Has Better Upside?

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,633.69. This represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $498,142.56. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.20.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $128.14 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $111.22 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.27 and a beta of 0.46.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The business had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy 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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