RKL Wealth Management LLC Has $1.72 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

RKL Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 321.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 14,689 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,201 shares during the period. RKL Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,722,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 81,929 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,139,000 after purchasing an additional 11,817 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 107,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,352,000 after purchasing an additional 23,736 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 62.7% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 42,680 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,003,000 after purchasing an additional 16,450 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 206,891 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,603,000 after purchasing an additional 13,882 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 132,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,534,000 after purchasing an additional 24,497 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy joined the new Careers Electric coalition, aiming to help train 25,000 workers over the next 10 years and strengthen the utility’s labor pipeline, especially in North Carolina. That could support Duke’s ability to staff grid and infrastructure projects as demand rises. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy approved up to $96 million in grants to help refurbish Duke’s coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, which may reduce capital burden and support grid reliability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Harry Sideris said electricity demand is growing at 10 times the historical pace, reinforcing the long-term case for regulated utilities like Duke as data-center and electrification demand accelerate. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke was named a “Moderate Buy” by brokerages, which supports a constructive longer-term view but is not a fresh catalyst by itself. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest remains elevated, with Duke appearing frequently in stock-watch and “trending stock” coverage, suggesting the market is still reassessing the utility’s growth story. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory headlines are weighing on sentiment, including questions over Duke’s role in attracting new data centers to North Carolina and concerns that a pause in solar procurement could affect customer bills and project timing. Article Title Article Title

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $124.23 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $113.66 and a 52 week high of $134.49. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market cap of $96.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.93.

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.