Ransom Advisory Ltd Purchases Shares of 10,512 Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Ransom Advisory Ltd has acquired 10,512 shares of Duke Energy, valued at approximately $1.28 million, during the first quarter, as disclosed in the recent SEC filing.
• Several hedge funds, including Vanguard Group and GQG Partners, significantly increased their stake in Duke Energy, highlighting strong institutional interest with 65.31% of the company's stock owned by institutional investors.
• Duke Energy has recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $1.05 to $1.065, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders with a dividend yield of 3.5%.

Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,512 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,282,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,921,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,088,158,000 after buying an additional 418,014 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,656,244 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,055,087,000 after purchasing an additional 93,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,153,615 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $994,496,000 after purchasing an additional 152,542 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on DUK. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $130.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $121.96. 2,136,379 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,491,651. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The business's 50-day moving average price is $121.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.15. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue 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. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

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.