Simplicity Wealth LLC Purchases 9,455 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Simplicity Wealth LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 130.6%, acquiring an additional 9,455 shares, bringing its total holdings to 16,693 shares valued at approximately $1.97 million.
• Duke Energy recently reported earnings of $1.25 per share, missing analysts' estimates of $1.29, but had revenue that exceeded expectations at $7.51 billion.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $4.26 and a yield of 3.4%.

Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 130.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,693 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,455 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,970,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 360.0% during the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy 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 value of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. The trade was 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 Up 1.7%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $123.58 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $122.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.61. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $127.85. 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 firm has a market cap of $96.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $132.25.

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.

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