Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 13,331 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Duke Energy by 4.8% in Q3, acquiring 13,331 shares and bringing its total to 291,219 shares valued at about $36.04 million.
• Duke announced a dilutive $6 billion common-stock offering and upsized a $1.3 billion convertible note refinancing, moves that lower near‑term refinancing pressure but are a primary driver of downward pressure on the share price.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065 (annualized $4.26, ~3.3% yield), with an ex-dividend date of Feb 13 and a payment date of Mar 16.

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 291,219 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,331 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $36,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.3% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 13,213 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 91.9% during the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,428 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2%

DUK opened at $130.01 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $101.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.57, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company's 50 day moving average is $123.34 and its 200-day moving average is $122.50. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $111.22 and a 1-year high of $132.65.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The business had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 67.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore reaffirmed an "in-line" rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $136.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $137.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory settlements on the proposed combination of Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress guarantee hundreds of millions in customer savings and reduce approval risk — a major de‑risking event that supports the merger timeline and removes uncertainty that had pressured the stock. Duke Energy reaches agreements with North Carolina customer advocates...
• Positive Sentiment: Company reached a parallel settlement in South Carolina on the same combination, further lowering multi-state regulatory risk and supporting longer‑term cost synergies. Duke Energy reaches agreement with South Carolina customer groups...
• Positive Sentiment: Duke opened its largest battery storage facility in Knightdale, highlighting progress on clean‑energy investments that can improve grid resilience and support long‑term growth in regulated renewables. Duke Energy’s largest battery storage facility now open in Knightdale
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke upsized and priced a $1.3B convertible senior note offering (3.00% due 2029) to refinance 2026 convertibles — a balance‑sheet move that lowers near‑term refinancing pressure but adds convertible securities that can dilute if converted. A Look At Duke Energy (DUK) Valuation After Upsized US$1.3b Convertible Notes Refinancing
• Negative Sentiment: Duke announced a $6 billion common‑stock offering — a large primary raise that is explicitly dilutive to existing shareholders and is the primary driver of downward pressure on the share price today. Duke Energy (DUK) Announces $6 Billion Common Stock Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Customer backlash and calls for audits after spiking bills, plus local votes on utility rate increases, create regulatory and political risk that can weigh on near‑term sentiment. NC residents sound alarm over rising energy bills, demand audit of Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Community opposition to a proposed gas‑plant expansion and recent outages that caused school delays add operational and reputational headwinds. Neighbors fearful of air pollution from proposed Duke Energy gas plant

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company's core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.