Community Financial Services Group LLC Lowers Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Community Financial Services Group LLC lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 18.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 507 shares during the period. Community Financial Services Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 40.9% during the first quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 3,454 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 10.2% during the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,909 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 29.5% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 42,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,207,000 after purchasing an additional 9,730 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 14.4% during the first quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 16,904 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after purchasing an additional 2,127 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE DUK opened at $122.42 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.44. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $105.20 and a 1 year high of $127.85. The business’s 50-day moving average is $122.47 and its 200 day moving average is $119.59.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted 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 business had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Sell-side 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 paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 69.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $141.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.50.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.