Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Bought by Bragg Financial Advisors Inc

Bragg Financial Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,638 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 767 shares during the quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 360.0% in the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $124.08 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $119.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.07.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.