Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $31.42 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 18.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 239,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 54,166 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $31,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after buying an additional 1,957,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,266,675,000 after buying an additional 230,375 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,046,818,000 after acquiring an additional 58,375 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.33.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy raised its quarterly dividend to $1.085 per share from $1.06, signaling confidence in cash flow and providing a higher income yield for investors. Duke Energy announces dividend payments to shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted its Duke Energy Florida EnergyWise Home program, which offers up to $141 in annual bill credits with minimal effort from customers, supporting customer retention and goodwill. Sign up, sit back, save: Duke Energy Florida program offers bill credits with minimal requirements, little effort needed from customers
• Positive Sentiment: Separately, Duke Energy is being discussed favorably for its long-term pivot toward nuclear power as it exits offshore wind, a move intended to support future electricity demand from data centers and industrial customers. Should Duke Energy’s (DUK) Pivot From Offshore Wind to Nuclear Reshape Its Long?Term Strategy?
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina regulators are still reviewing Duke’s proposed rate hikes, and related headlines suggest the outcome is not yet fully resolved, keeping some uncertainty around future earnings and returns. Utilities sought record rate increases this spring as Duke’s request remains before NC regulators
• Negative Sentiment: Public scrutiny around Duke Energy’s rate increase plans and customer bill credits may add pressure on sentiment, as investors weigh regulatory risk and affordability concerns. Duke Energy’s rate increase meets a very energized public | Opinion

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $124.28 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $125.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.89 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $96.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.38.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were 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 directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

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.