Louis Renjel Sells 6,800 Shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) CEO Louis Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.6%

DUK stock opened at $128.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.81. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $110.51 and a twelve month high of $130.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.65 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.41%.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $142 and maintained a Buy rating — adds analyst support and upside to the stock. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target on Duke Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Duke reported solid results (beat expectations) and set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $6.55–$6.80, supporting earnings-driven upside and dividend coverage. Duke Energy Beats Expectations, Continues To Be A Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Federal judge dismissed a small town’s climate-change suit against Duke, removing a source of legal and regulatory uncertainty. Judge quashes small town’s climate change suit against Duke Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center demand remains strong — Duke’s pipeline hit ~4.5 GW, providing a durable load-growth avenue that supports long-term regulated earnings. Duke Energy’s data center pipeline hits 4.5 gigawatts
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke is deploying AI to detect scams targeting customers — lowers fraud risk and potential losses, but is primarily operational/PR. Duke Energy leverages AI to protect customers and combat scams
• Neutral Sentiment: Company announced customer-support resources after a Florida cold snap — helps mitigate customer backlash from higher winter bills but highlights bill volatility. Duke Energy is here to help Florida customers after cold snap
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Duke earning nearly $5B in 2025 while still requesting rate increases — positive for future revenue if approved, but keeps regulatory and PR scrutiny front-and-center. Duke Energy earned nearly $5B in 2025. It is still requesting a rate hike
• Neutral Sentiment: Local complaints about “radical” tree trimming and streetlight issues are generating local headlines — reputational noise with limited immediate financial impact. Answer Man: ‘Radical tree trimming’ by Duke Energy contractors
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Louis Renjel sold 6,800 shares (about $868k) and reduced his holdings ~23.6% — insider selling can weigh on sentiment, though not uncommon after compensation events. SEC Form 4 – Louis E. Renjel
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg is taking steps to consider switching to a city-run utility — a municipal departure could be a long-term demand and political risk if it gains traction elsewhere. St. Petersburg takes steps to consider dropping Duke Energy

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11,417.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,084,917,000 after buying an additional 17,515,383 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,905,000. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 83.3% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 1,711,445 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $200,598,000 after purchasing an additional 777,878 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.19.

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.