KBC Group NV Raises Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

KBC Group NV grew its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 70,369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,804 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. XY Planning Network Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $738,000. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,432 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 11,537 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,352,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 1,080 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.20.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke’s community and ESG outreach continues to generate goodwill — the Duke Energy Foundation awarded ~32 grants (~$250k) to revitalize parks and local projects across six states, plus targeted Florida grants. These items help stakeholder relations and local regulatory goodwill. Duke Energy Foundation announces first round of America250 grants to strengthen Florida communities
• Positive Sentiment: Duke highlights longer-term clean-energy positioning and climate financing initiatives, signaling commitment to growth in the energy transition — a strategic positive for long-term investors. Unlocking Trillions for Clean Energy and Climate Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings outlook: Analysts expect modest, single-digit profit growth for Q1 2026; upcoming quarterly results will be a near-term catalyst but projections are not aggressive. What to Expect From Duke Energy’s Q1 2026 Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke and peers are increasing grid and clean-energy investments to serve rising AI/data-center demand — this supports long-term demand but requires capital deployment. Duke Energy vs. AES: Which Utility Stock Is the Better Buy Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Duke asked North Carolina regulators to recover more than $800M in winter fuel and power-purchase costs; approval would boost cash flow but the request has drawn political pushback and could pressure customer rates. Duke Energy seeks price increase in North Carolina to recoup winter power costs
• Negative Sentiment: Political opposition: North Carolina’s governor has publicly opposed the ~$800M recovery plan, saying it could raise bills — heightens regulatory uncertainty and reputational risk. Gov. Stein opposes $800M Duke Energy plan, says it could raise NC power bills
• Negative Sentiment: Peer comparison: Analysts/coverage note NextEra Energy (NEE) shows stronger earnings momentum, higher ROE and lower leverage — making DUK relatively less attractive to growth-focused investors. NextEra Energy vs. Duke Energy: Which Utility Stock Has Better Upside?

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $128.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $111.22 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $129.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27 and a beta of 0.46.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.