Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Purchases 17,883 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 13.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 147,762 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,883 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $17,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 65,495 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,677,000 after acquiring an additional 8,124 shares in the last quarter. Dougherty & Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,190,000. RiverFront Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 8,208 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 6,898 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Passumpsic Savings Bank acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $698,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said its latest earnings call showed progress on a massive growth plan, reinforcing the company’s long-term investment and earnings outlook. Duke Energy EPS Jumps as Massive Growth Plan Advances
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Indiana began construction on an expansion of the Cayuga power plant, a sign of ongoing infrastructure investment that could support future capacity and regulated returns. Duke Energy Indiana begins construction on expanding Cayuga power plant
• Positive Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced more than $250,000 in grants to support veterans’ career pathways across six states, reinforcing its community-investment profile. Duke Energy Foundation Invests Over $250,000 to Support Veterans’ Career Pathways Across 6 States
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy also launched home-assessment efforts aimed at helping customers lower energy bills and improve efficiency, which is supportive of customer relations but unlikely to move the stock on its own. Duke Energy offers home assessments to keep energy bills low, efficient
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s foundation also awarded $50,000 to Florida veteran organizations, a positive public-relations move but not a material earnings driver. Duke Energy Foundation awards 50,000 to organizations honoring and supporting Florida veterans
• Negative Sentiment: A reported power outage in Clayton tied to underground line issues may remind investors of operational and reliability risks, though it appears to be an isolated incident. Thousands lose power in Clayton after issue with underground lines, Duke Energy says

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 24,462 shares of company stock valued at $3,048,426. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.67.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:DUK opened at $124.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08 and a beta of 0.41. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.39 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $128.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.