Strs Ohio Sells 45,274 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Strs Ohio decreased its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 21.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 166,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 45,274 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $21,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Keybank National Association OH grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.7% during the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 406,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,180,000 after purchasing an additional 14,381 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp boosted its position in Duke Energy by 51.4% during the 1st quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp now owns 11,712 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,534,000 after buying an additional 3,975 shares during the period. Randolph Co Inc boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Randolph Co Inc now owns 126,039 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,503,000 after buying an additional 2,099 shares during the period. TSG Advice Partners LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $214,000. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,409 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock opened at $129.44 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $125.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.78. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The firm has a market cap of $100.91 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 0.38.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho cut their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $136.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.33.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction 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 $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.