Janus Henderson Group PLC Raises Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 5,254.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,735,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,684,721 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $358,227,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Investment Advisors MI raised its position in Duke Energy by 390.5% in the 1st quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 8,838 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,157,000 after buying an additional 7,036 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 53.8% during the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 63,447 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,308,000 after acquiring an additional 22,191 shares during the last quarter. IFS Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $231,000. Constant Guidance Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 51.8% during the first quarter. Constant Guidance Financial LLC now owns 12,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,650,000 after purchasing an additional 4,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adalta Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Adalta Capital Management LLC now owns 22,475 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,943,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $126.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $126.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.085 per share. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.46%.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is expected to report year-over-year second-quarter EPS growth, supported by ongoing grid investment, rising electricity demand and recent infrastructure milestones. The earnings preview may reinforce the company’s long-term growth narrative ahead of its results. Duke Energy to Release Q2 Earnings: What’s in Store for the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans to employ about 1,000 workers on multibillion-dollar electricity and natural-gas projects in North Carolina. The projects could expand Duke’s regulated asset base and position it to benefit from increasing regional power demand, although they also require substantial capital spending. Duke Energy to employ 1,000 to build multibillion-dollar power projects
• Positive Sentiment: Installation of underground power lines on Horatio Avenue should improve grid resilience and reliability, though the immediate financial impact is likely limited. Duke Energy starts installing underground power lines on Horatio Avenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings results from other utilities, including WEC Energy, Exelon, NorthWestern and FirstEnergy, highlight continued benefits from rate-base growth, transmission investment and data-center demand. These reports offer a constructive sector backdrop but do not directly change Duke Energy’s earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $300,000 in grants for more than 30 organizations serving older South Carolinians. The initiative supports community relations but is unlikely to materially affect earnings or valuation. Duke Energy Foundation provides $300,000 in grants
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina regulators reportedly reduced a proposed Duke Energy rate increase nearly by half, although customer bills would still rise. The lower approved increase could constrain near-term revenue and earnings growth relative to Duke’s request. North Carolina Duke Energy rate hike is cut nearly in half
• Negative Sentiment: DUK declined while the market gained, indicating investors may be taking profits or reducing exposure before the Q2 earnings release. The stock’s move appears more tied to positioning and rate-case concerns than to a new earnings miss.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $139.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Capitol Sec Mgt downgraded Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.62.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.