Franklin Resources Inc. Has $965.45 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $965,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dorato Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.93.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $124.28 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.66 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 65.24%.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.