Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 4,531 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 178,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,531 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $22,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2,608.3% during the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $46,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price target on the stock. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.50.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record winter power demand supports near‑term revenue and highlights resilience in core electric sales, which can help offset margin pressure. Duke Energy experiences record-breaking demand during winter storms
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation is investing $500,000 in North Carolina community colleges to strengthen the energy workforce — a long‑term positive for operations and hiring pipeline. Duke Energy invests $500,000 in North Carolina community colleges to strengthen energy workforce pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Fortune again named Duke among the world’s most admired companies, which supports reputation and investor confidence around governance and culture. Duke Energy again named by Fortune one of World’s Most Admired Companies™
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a constructive view (average “Moderate Buy”), which can provide support if earnings meet expectations. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke is entering negotiations with Clearwater on a possible new service agreement — a routine commercial development that could be revenue‑neutral or accretive depending on terms. Clearwater and Duke Energy begin negotiations on possible new service agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage explaining where bill donations go and charity programs increases transparency and community goodwill but has limited direct stock impact. Where your Duke Energy bill donation goes
• Neutral Sentiment: Previews note Q4 EPS may decline ~9% year‑over‑year despite revenue growth and resilient demand; that mixed outlook makes the upcoming results a key stock catalyst. Duke Energy to Release Q4 Earnings: How to Approach the Stock Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Shares are under pressure as the stock fell while the broader market rose, pointing to sector rotation or investor caution ahead of earnings and regulatory items. Duke Energy (DUK) stock sinks as market gains: What you should know
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/customer friction: some customers reacted negatively to Duke’s request to conserve energy during Carbon Plan proceedings — potential PR and regulatory risk if public pushback grows. Customers react to Duke’s request to conserve energy during Carbon Plan proceedings
• Negative Sentiment: Weather risk: Duke is preparing for potential power outages from high winds this weekend — outage restoration costs and service disruptions could pressure near‑term results. Duke Energy prepares for potential power outages due to high winds this weekend

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:DUK opened at $121.91 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $118.04 and its 200-day moving average is $121.63. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $110.51 and a 52 week high of $130.03. The firm has a market cap of $94.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

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.