Providence First Trust Co Sells 11,905 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Providence First Trust Co reduced its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 82.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,577 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,905 shares during the period. Providence First Trust Co’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $302,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.0% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. AXA S.A. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 523.4% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $954,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and revenue growth — Duke reported $1.93 EPS and revenue of $9.18B, topping estimates and showing double?digit revenue growth, supporting near?term earnings credibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Mizuho raised its price target to $139 and moved to an “outperform” rating, signaling analyst confidence and adding upside narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Data?center load growth — Duke signed ~2.7 GW of new data?center contracts (Q1), expanding load and future rate?based investment opportunities. This is a key growth driver for utility load and capital deployment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval for utility consolidation — North Carolina approval to merge two Duke utilities and expected customer savings (~$2.3B through 2040) supports operational efficiency and rate?base scale. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance reaffirmed — Management kept FY2026 EPS guidance at $6.55–$6.80 and reiterated multi?year growth targets and ESA capacity expansion (7.6 GW), which supports longer?term expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer refund in Florida approved — Regulators approved a $90.5M refund to Florida customers for storm cost over?collections; modest near?term cash outflow but removes a regulatory overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Community/PR activity — Duke donated to youth education (Historic Camp Wildwood), a modest PR positive but immaterial to fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Political and public pushback on rate hikes — Strong public and political resistance in Florida and the Carolinas raises regulatory risk around future rate relief and recovery of investments. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising costs and interest headwinds — Management flagged higher costs and interest expenses that weigh on margins and cash flow, tempering some optimism from the beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Activist protests and reputational risk — Climate activists publicly protested and tied political figures to Duke, increasing reputational scrutiny that could amplify regulatory/policy pressure over time. Article Title

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $125.57 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $97.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day moving average of $129.80 and a 200 day moving average of $124.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.33. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $111.22 and a 1-year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,633.69. This represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $141.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

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.