Sonora Investment Management Group LLC Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Sonora Investment Management Group LLC raised its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 6.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $663,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its stake in Duke Energy by 31.6% during the first quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 346 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 4.8% during the first quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the first quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Lokken Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 3.3% during the first quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its stake in Duke Energy by 0.3% during the first quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 27,517 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,356,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.00.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE DUK opened at $122.99 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $127.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.64 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $122.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Duke Energy 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.