Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Sold by Stack Financial Management Inc

Stack Financial Management Inc lowered its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 192,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,513 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises 2.0% of Stack Financial Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $22,698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during 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 last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 360.0% during 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 in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of DUK opened at $126.88 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $127.85. The company’s fifty day moving average is $123.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.88. The firm has a market cap of $98.66 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.44. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $7.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on DUK. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $141.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.08.

About Duke Energy

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.