Louis Renjel Sells 6,800 Shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) CEO Louis Renjel sold 6,800 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE DUK traded up $2.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $128.14. 5,565,865 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,389,916. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $110.51 and a 12-month high of $130.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $99.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $118.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.73.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.41%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 17,195 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,029,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 355,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,956,000 after buying an additional 10,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.19.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $142 and maintained a Buy rating — adds analyst support and upside to the stock. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target on Duke Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Duke reported solid results (beat expectations) and set FY?2026 EPS guidance of $6.55–$6.80, supporting earnings-driven upside and dividend coverage. Duke Energy Beats Expectations, Continues To Be A Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Federal judge dismissed a small town’s climate-change suit against Duke, removing a source of legal and regulatory uncertainty. Judge quashes small town’s climate change suit against Duke Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center demand remains strong — Duke’s pipeline hit ~4.5 GW, providing a durable load-growth avenue that supports long-term regulated earnings. Duke Energy’s data center pipeline hits 4.5 gigawatts
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke is deploying AI to detect scams targeting customers — lowers fraud risk and potential losses, but is primarily operational/PR. Duke Energy leverages AI to protect customers and combat scams
• Neutral Sentiment: Company announced customer-support resources after a Florida cold snap — helps mitigate customer backlash from higher winter bills but highlights bill volatility. Duke Energy is here to help Florida customers after cold snap
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Duke earning nearly $5B in 2025 while still requesting rate increases — positive for future revenue if approved, but keeps regulatory and PR scrutiny front-and-center. Duke Energy earned nearly $5B in 2025. It is still requesting a rate hike
• Neutral Sentiment: Local complaints about “radical” tree trimming and streetlight issues are generating local headlines — reputational noise with limited immediate financial impact. Answer Man: ‘Radical tree trimming’ by Duke Energy contractors
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Louis Renjel sold 6,800 shares (about $868k) and reduced his holdings ~23.6% — insider selling can weigh on sentiment, though not uncommon after compensation events. SEC Form 4 – Louis E. Renjel
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg is taking steps to consider switching to a city-run utility — a municipal departure could be a long-term demand and political risk if it gains traction elsewhere. St. Petersburg takes steps to consider dropping Duke Energy

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.