Capital Wealth Planning LLC Purchases 234,810 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,678,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 234,810 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy comprises about 2.0% of Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $314,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 4.6% in the third quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,854 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Elm Partners Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Elm Partners Management LLC now owns 9,254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,085,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID grew its position in Duke Energy by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 324 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 1.1% in the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $972,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Duke Energy News

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 additional grants to refurbish coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, adding to an earlier $34 million award. The funding could help Duke lower the amount customers or shareholders ultimately bear for plant upgrades while supporting grid reliability. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Winning US$96 Million In Federal Coal Plant Grants
• Positive Sentiment: Ohio’s Supreme Court approved a natural gas rate hike for Duke Energy customers, a reminder that regulators can allow higher rates to flow through the system, which can help protect the company’s earnings. Ohio Supreme Court approves natural gas rate hike for Duke Energy customers
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy remains in the market spotlight, with investors watching it as a trending stock and debating whether it is a buy. That attention can help trading interest in DUK. Is Trending Stock Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulators’ pause in Duke Energy’s solar procurement has raised concerns about future customer bills, but it also signals ongoing scrutiny of how the utility balances clean-energy spending with affordability. Regulators’ pause in Duke Energy solar procurement raises concerns about bills
• Neutral Sentiment: At a state hearing, Duke Energy faced questions over how it is helping attract new data centers to North Carolina. Data-center load growth could be a long-term upside, but the hearing suggests the plan may face political or regulatory pushback. At state hearing, Duke Energy faces questions over its role in attracting new data centers to NC
• Negative Sentiment: Questions over a possible $150 bill credit for customers suggest Duke Energy is still under pressure on affordability, which could weigh on sentiment if it leads to lower near-term revenue recovery. Duke Energy customers may be able to get $150 bill credit. But there’s a catch

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Capitol Sec Mgt lowered shares of Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.93.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $125.13 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.66 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $97.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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.