Clarity Financial LLC Grows Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Clarity Financial LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 168,368 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,181 shares during the period. Duke Energy makes up about 2.1% of Clarity Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Clarity Financial LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $19,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 360.0% in the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.50.

Insider Activity

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

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $122.42 on Thursday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $127.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $122.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.