Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 6,103 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 361,974 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,103 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $42,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 11,817 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 23,736 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 62.7% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 42,680 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,003,000 after purchasing an additional 16,450 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.2% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 206,891 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,603,000 after purchasing an additional 13,882 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 132,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,534,000 after purchasing an additional 24,497 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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 at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were 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 directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1%

DUK opened at $125.13 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $97.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $113.66 and a twelve month high of $134.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $126.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.99.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities 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 will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 65.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.93.

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.