Morningstar Investment Management LLC Trims Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management cut its Duke Energy stake by 73% in the fourth quarter, selling 59,615 shares and leaving it with 22,099 shares worth about $2.59 million.
• Duke Energy reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.93 versus the $1.87 estimate and revenue of $9.18 billion, up 11.3% year over year.
• The company continues to offer a 3.4% dividend yield and recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a target price around $139.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 73.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,099 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 59,615 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 523.4% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $954,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $125.78 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $128.24 and a 200 day moving average of $124.02. The company has a market capitalization of $98.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.26 and a beta of 0.41. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.39 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 24,462 shares of company stock worth $3,048,426. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is being viewed as a potential beneficiary of surging power demand from data centers, which could support future generation growth and regulated utility investment opportunities. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated its bullish view by keeping Duke Energy on its Conviction List and assigning a $132 target, signaling confidence in regulatory progress and the company’s expansion plans. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Utility-sector demand tailwinds linked to AI infrastructure are also supporting sentiment toward Duke Energy and other dividend-paying utilities. These 3 Utility Stocks Have Been Paying Dividends for Decades and AI Data Centers Just Made Them More Valuable
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina lawmakers moved to require approval for replacement nuclear capacity before Duke can retire coal plants, which could slow the company’s transition plans but may also protect near-term generation reliability and earnings visibility. North Carolina lawmakers just moved to block Duke Energy from closing coal plants until new nuclear is approved to replace every lost megawatt
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141 while maintaining an Equalweight rating, a modestly softer analyst signal but still above the recent share price. Morgan Stanley adjusts price target on Duke Energy to 132 from 141
• Neutral Sentiment: Other items, including local outage and customer-service updates, appear operational in nature and are unlikely to materially affect the stock. Power restored for Duke Energy customers in Sullivan County

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $141.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.07.

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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