Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Sold by Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC

Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC trimmed its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,570 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 23,039 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $86,309,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 420,005 shares during the period. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 419,992 shares during the period. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in Duke Energy by 178.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 505,891 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $59,376,000 after purchasing an additional 323,991 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $124.28 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $126.82 and a 200-day moving average of $123.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.66 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.93.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

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.