DB&C Advisors LLC Invests $920,000 in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

DB&C Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,846 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $920,000. Duke Energy makes up 1.2% of DB&C Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $1,046,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 9.2% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 150,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,615,000 after buying an additional 12,677 shares in the last quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1,118.3% during the third quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 99,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,308,000 after buying an additional 91,295 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 16.9% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 81,929 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,139,000 after buying an additional 11,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 28.2% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 107,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,352,000 after buying an additional 23,736 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

Duke Energy Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $124.28 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.66 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $96.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.98.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho upped their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore upped their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.93.

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.