Heritage Investors Management Corp Increases Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Heritage Investors Management Corp increased its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,795 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased 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 acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $125.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $123.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 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 $130.03.

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). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on DUK. BTIG Research raised Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank set a $137.00 target price on Duke Energy and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.00.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business’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 value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.