3,989 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Purchased by Websterrogers Financial Advisors LLC

Websterrogers Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 3,989 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $468,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 41,642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,153,000 after buying an additional 11,409 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,046,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 274,630 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,985,000 after acquiring an additional 27,820 shares during the period. Alley Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 13.0% during the third quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 88,018 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,892,000 after purchasing an additional 10,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 12.7% during the third quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 93,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,604,000 after purchasing an additional 10,580 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $137.80.

Duke Energy Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $126.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $98.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $111.22 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $125.33 and its 200 day moving average is $122.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 67.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the 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 owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke’s clean-energy programs are gaining traction: the company placed the 10 MW Ebbie Solar project into service in South Carolina and its Renewable Choice program exceeded initial enrollment targets, supporting longer?term growth in renewables. Duke Energy helps customers in South Carolina advance sustainability goals through expanded clean energy initiatives
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced grants to support lineworker training at several colleges and $500,000 for storm preparedness in North Carolina — initiatives that can ease operational risk and support reliability. Duke Energy partners with colleges to train next generation of lineworkers
• Positive Sentiment: Investor pieces highlighting Duke’s dividend appeal, infrastructure and renewable investment plans are drawing buyer interest, reinforcing the company’s long?term utility income thesis. Here’s Why You Should Add Duke Energy Stock to Your Portfolio Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke rolled out customer-facing tools like the Usage Alerts program in Florida to help customers anticipate bills ahead of summer — a customer-relations and demand-management move that may blunt complaints if adopted broadly. Monitor energy use with alerts – ahead of the summer heat
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke publicly responded to a large customer petition calling for an audit of rates after high winter bills; the company’s response and any regulator engagement will matter for near?term sentiment but outcomes are uncertain. Duke Energy responds to petition calling for bill audit
• Negative Sentiment: A massive power outage prompted multiple local reports; ongoing investigations into the cause raise short?term reliability concerns and could weigh on sentiment and regulatory scrutiny. Duke Energy addressing cause of massive power outage
• Negative Sentiment: Nearly 50,000 customers signed petitions and local stories document spikes in winter bills, driving calls for audits and political/regulatory attention — a catalyst for investor concern about rate cases and reputational risk. Customers petition for audit of Duke Energy’s electric rates following sky-high winter bills
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure and customer backlash come as Duke faces plans to expand some fossil?fuel capacity to meet rising demand — drawing criticism that could complicate permitting, permitting timelines and ESG perceptions. Duke Energy plan draws criticism for expanding fossil fuels to meet rising demand
• Negative Sentiment: Reports indicate Duke Energy Ohio may raise rates twice before summer, which signals utility revenue recovery but also higher customer bills and potential regulatory scrutiny across jurisdictions. Duke Energy Ohio Rates Expected to Rise Twice Before Summer

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.