Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Buys 11,977 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 469,948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,977 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.06% of Duke Energy worth $55,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,301,165 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,442,269,000 after acquiring an additional 584,382 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $960,139,000 after purchasing an additional 31,703 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,281,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $901,146,000 after purchasing an additional 288,499 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,033,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $622,862,000 after purchasing an additional 12,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.1% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,681,628 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $316,432,000 after purchasing an additional 430,458 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $137.80.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: South Carolina regulators approved Duke’s plan to build a new natural gas combined‑cycle plant in Anderson County — the company’s first new generation in the state in a decade, expected to begin construction in 2027 and serve customers by early 2031; the project supports regulated rate recovery, job creation and property tax revenue. Duke Energy secures approval for gas plant in South Carolina
• Positive Sentiment: Company messaging and analyst pieces highlight Duke’s Sunbelt footprint as a strategic advantage for serving growing electricity demand from data centers and potential AI load — a structural demand tailwind that can lift long‑term load growth and utility revenue. Duke Energy: Prime Sunbelt Assets Set It Up For AI Tailwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and dividend coverage: commentary questions whether DUK’s current price fully reflects mixed short‑term returns, dividend outlook and regulated business stability — useful context for investors weighing income vs. growth expectations. Is Duke Energy (DUK) Pricing Fully Reflect Its Mixed Returns And Dividend Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer relief programs in Florida and removal of certain storm cost charges reduce near‑term bill pressure for customers and may lower arrears, a credit‑quality positive, though they can modestly affect recovered storm revenue mechanics. Energy Bill Assistance Available for Qualified Duke Energy Florida Customers
• Negative Sentiment: Local opposition to data centers and infrastructure expansions (Rowan County hearing) underscores permitting, community and NIMBY risks that can delay projects and raise build costs. ‘Nobody wants it here.’ Rowan County residents rail against data centers at Duke Energy hearing
• Negative Sentiment: Environmental groups and some state leaders are pressing Duke for faster renewable adoption in North Carolina, which could increase near‑term capital spending and regulatory risk as the utility balances reliability, emissions and rate impacts. NC town, environmental groups urge Gov. Stein to push Duke on renewable energy

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:DUK opened at $129.37 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $111.22 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $126.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $100.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.47 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced 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. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The company had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.41%.

About Duke Energy

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.