4,415 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Bought by Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc. has invested approximately $517,000 in Duke Energy by purchasing 4,415 shares during the second quarter.
• Duke Energy recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.065, yielding 3.5%, with a payout ratio of 69.27%.
• Analysts generally have a positive outlook on Duke Energy, with the stock receiving multiple price target increases, resulting in an average target of $130.62.

Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,415 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $517,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its position in Duke Energy by 31.6% in the first quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 346 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% during the first quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% during the first quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Lokken Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% in the first quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 27,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,356,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.69 on Friday, reaching $121.08. 4,842,020 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,380,597. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $127.85. The company has a market capitalization of $94.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company has a 50-day moving average of $121.79 and a 200 day moving average of $119.28.

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 (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business's 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 in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.62.

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.