Merit Financial Group LLC Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,562 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,910,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Evercore raised their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.44.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utilities could benefit from rising electricity demand tied to the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence data centers. The trend supports Duke Energy’s long-term generation and grid-investment opportunity, although the referenced article focuses on utility ETFs rather than DUK specifically. Utility ETFs to Buy as Rapid AI Buildout Sparks Energy Crisis
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy has restored most power after severe storms in Greater Cincinnati, with nearly 223,000 outages addressed and crews working to restore the remaining customers. Faster restoration limits prolonged service disruption and reputational damage. Duke Energy restores 85% of Greater Cincinnati outages
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 for North Carolina small-business programs and emergency grants for storm recovery in Ohio and Kentucky. The initiatives may support community relations but are not financially material to DUK. Duke Energy invests $500,000 to help small businesses
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy completed the sale of 40 million equity units. The financing provides capital for infrastructure and growth, but the additional equity can dilute existing shareholders and signals substantial funding needs. Duke Energy Completes Major Equity Units Financing Offering
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is challenging a proposed 6.8% residential rate increase and rejecting the related settlement. Regulatory opposition raises uncertainty over Duke’s ability to recover costs and earn its targeted returns. AG Jeff Jackson rejects Duke Energy settlement
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed Duke Energy plant is drawing opposition in Davie and Davidson counties, creating potential permitting, construction and political obstacles. More than 2,000 customers also remained without power during severe storms, highlighting near-term reliability and restoration costs. Duke Energy plant proposal draws opposition

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $123.83 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $113.89 and a one year high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.085 dividend. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.96%.

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.