MUFG Securities EMEA plc Has $3.74 Million Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

MUFG Securities EMEA plc grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 114.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 31,890 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,006 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,046,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.2% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 150,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,615,000 after acquiring an additional 12,677 shares during the last quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,118.3% in the third quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 99,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,308,000 after acquiring an additional 91,295 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.8% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 884,130 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $108,833,000 after acquiring an additional 78,911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 16.9% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 81,929 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,139,000 after acquiring an additional 11,817 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on DUK. UBS Group reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Capitol Sec Mgt cut Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Evercore increased their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.07.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $119.82 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.35 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.66 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $127.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Duke Energy

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.