Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Purchased by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 178.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 505,891 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 323,991 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $59,376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $86,309,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 447.3% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 513,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $60,235,000 after acquiring an additional 420,005 shares during the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 19.1% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,613,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $323,432,000 after acquiring an additional 419,992 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,281,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $901,146,000 after acquiring an additional 288,499 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0%

DUK stock opened at $123.84 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $129.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.10. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $111.22 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value 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. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 24,462 shares of company stock valued at $3,048,426. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Capitol Sec Mgt downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy’s recent first-quarter results came in ahead of expectations, with earnings and revenue both topping estimates, while management reaffirmed its full-year guidance and highlighted a large five-year capital plan, additional data-center power agreements, and DOE loan applications that could support long-term growth and customer savings. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Earnings Beat, Massive Capex Plan And DOE Loan Bid
• Positive Sentiment: Hot weather across the Carolinas could boost electricity demand as air conditioners run longer, which may help near-term utility usage and revenue. 90-degree heat on the way: Take these steps now to keep your home comfortable and manage energy use
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of Duke Energy’s nuclear fleet was constructive, noting record capacity factor performance, which supports the company’s operating reliability and long-term clean-energy strategy. Duke Energy’s Nuclear Playbook: Three Horizons, One Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts made only modest target changes, including JPMorgan, UBS, and Jefferies lowering price targets slightly while still implying upside, so the revisions do not appear to signal a major deterioration in the outlook. JPMorgan adjusts price target on Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by CEO Harry Sideris and CEO Louis E. Renjel may be pressuring sentiment, even though these transactions do not necessarily change Duke Energy’s operating fundamentals. SEC Form 4 filing for CEO share sale

Duke Energy 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.