Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC Takes $54,000 Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Key Points

• Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC invested $54,000 in Duke Energy Corporation, purchasing 442,871 shares, which makes up 0.0% of its investment portfolio.
• Duke Energy recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.065 per share, marking a positive change from its previous dividend of $1.05.
• Analysts have rated Duke Energy as a "Moderate Buy"** with an average price target of $130.62, indicating positive market sentiment towards the stock.

Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 442,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $54,000. Duke Energy accounts for 0.0% of Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Duke Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 98.1% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of 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 five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.62.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.59 on Thursday, hitting $120.91. The company had a trading volume of 2,062,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,524,840. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $127.85. The stock has a market cap of $94.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $120.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy'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. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.