Focus Partners Wealth Buys 61,347 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,021,996 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,347 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $120,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 523.4% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $954,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on DUK shares. UBS Group cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.93.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary are highlighting Duke Energy as a defensive, low-volatility utility pick as inflation jumps and oil prices surge, which can draw investors toward stable dividend names like DUK. 3 Low-Beta Utility Stocks to Buy as Inflation Jumps to Three-Year High
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Duke Energy could keep rising, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the company’s earnings outlook, utility stability, and rate-driven growth profile. Duke Energy: Why This Utility Could Keep Rising
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy received up to $96 million in federal coal plant grants, which could help offset refurbishment costs and support grid reliability without passing as much expense to customers. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Winning US$96 Million In Federal Coal Plant Grants
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive, with Duke Energy carrying an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $124.91 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $113.66 and a twelve month high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.02. 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 prior year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

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.