National Pension Service Has $253.75 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,050,511 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,884 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $253,751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11,417.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,084,917,000 after purchasing an additional 17,515,383 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,716,783 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,934,580,000 after acquiring an additional 1,154,783 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 448.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 826,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $102,254,000 after buying an additional 675,768 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 64.4% in the second quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 1,472,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $173,734,000 after purchasing an additional 576,674 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 21.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,726,823 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $321,765,000 after acquiring an additional 474,325 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $121.23 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $110.51 and a 12-month high of $130.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 15.76%.The firm had revenue of $8.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend — Duke declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, supporting yield-seeking investors and steady income appeal. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Higher near-term demand from cold snap — Prolonged low temperatures across the Carolinas and a cold spell in Florida are driving higher residential heating load, which should increase near-term revenue; Duke is also promoting customer assistance programs to manage bills. Higher Energy Use Florida Cold Spell
• Positive Sentiment: Operational resilience — Duke reports restoration of power to ~150,000 North Carolina homes and is mobilizing for an upcoming winter storm; messaging that outage risk is lower for snow vs. ice may limit prolonged service disruptions and related costs. Power Restoration Outage Risk
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer scam warnings — Multiple local outlets report impersonation texts and fake outage messages targeting Duke customers; the company is warning customers and advising precautions. This is a reputational/operational nuisance but not a direct earnings driver. Scam Warning
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cut — RBC Capital trimmed its target on Duke, which can pressure sentiment and cap near-term upside from analyst-following investors. RBC Target Trim
• Negative Sentiment: Peaker gas-plant consideration — Duke is evaluating a Rockingham County site for potential gas-fired “peaker” plants; this could trigger local opposition, regulatory scrutiny and incremental capital spending. Peaker Plant Site
• Negative Sentiment: Political/PR risk — Coverage questions Duke’s involvement in campaigns opposing municipal moves in Pinellas County, which could heighten regulatory/political risk and negative public attention. Pinellas County Coverage

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. This trade represents a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy 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.