Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stake Raised by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

Key Points

• OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp significantly increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2,682.0%, acquiring an additional 863,453 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 895,647 shares valued at $109.24 million.
• Several institutional investors, including GQG Partners LLC and Vanguard Group Inc., also made substantial investments in Duke Energy during the same period, indicating a strong interest in the company's stock.
• Duke Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.065, signaling a yield of 3.4%, with expectations to post earnings of $6.33 per share for the current fiscal year.

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2,682.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 895,647 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 863,453 shares during the quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp owned about 0.12% of Duke Energy worth $109,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 51,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,586,000 after acquiring an additional 6,542 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 33,136 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,570,000 after acquiring an additional 2,223 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 43,880 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,728,000 after acquiring an additional 9,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $257,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $130.62.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $122.45. The company had a trading volume of 2,151,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,161,989. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $120.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.67. 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 capitalization of $95.22 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. The business'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. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share 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 $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Duke Energy Company 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.