Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Grows Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd has increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.3%, now owning 112,340 shares worth approximately $13.26 million.
• Institutions and hedge funds now hold 65.31% of Duke Energy's stock, with significant increases from multiple firms, including Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc., which grew its stake by 338.6%.
• Duke Energy's quarterly dividend has increased from $1.05 to $1.065, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.5%, demonstrating a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 112,340 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,665 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $13,256,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 15,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,998,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 69.7% in the 4th quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 45,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,938,000 after purchasing an additional 18,821 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,836,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owned 19,608 shares in the company, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.62.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $121.71. 2,061,995 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,513,562. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $127.85. The company's 50 day moving average is $121.87 and its 200 day moving average is $119.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 69.27%.

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.