Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Cuts Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 47.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,325 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,585,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,301,165 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,442,269,000 after acquiring an additional 584,382 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $960,139,000 after acquiring an additional 31,703 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,281,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $901,146,000 after purchasing an additional 288,499 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,033,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $622,862,000 after purchasing an additional 12,758 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,613,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $323,432,000 after purchasing an additional 419,992 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Closed sale of Tennessee Piedmont Natural Gas for $2.48 billion — Duke announced the transaction closed March 31; proceeds are earmarked to help fund the company’s large regulated capital plan, improving liquidity and de?leveraging options. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval for a $2.5 billion natural?gas power plant in South Carolina — A new plant approval supports future regulated earnings growth and reliability investments, reinforcing Duke’s capital?spend runway. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Seen as a defensive name by analysts — Several analyst notes and lists highlight utilities (including DUK) for dividend stability and low beta amid market volatility, which can attract risk?averse capital. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Localized outage in Jeffersonville quickly restored — A downtown outage affected hundreds of customers but service was restored; operational impact appears limited and not company?wide. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Proposed rate hike (up to ~18%) sparks strong customer and political pushback across the Carolinas — Public hearings saw customers urging regulators to reject or reduce the request; heightened scrutiny increases execution risk and could delay or shrink allowed increases. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising disconnections among Duke Energy Carolinas customers — Reports show disconnections doubled in February, which amplifies affordability concerns and regulatory/political pressure tied to rate requests. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $137.80.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE DUK opened at $130.88 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $101.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.71 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $111.22 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $126.83 and a 200-day moving average of $123.33.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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.