Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Acquired by BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 92.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 92,861 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,592 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $12,159,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,266,675,000 after buying an additional 230,375 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,046,818,000 after buying an additional 58,375 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted 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 valued at $960,139,000 after acquiring an additional 31,703 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm’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 value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Capitol Sec Mgt lowered Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.07.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $123.84 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.08.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.24%.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is being highlighted as one of the large-cap dividend stocks that retirees are quietly buying, reinforcing its appeal as a steady income name for investors looking for yield and defensive cash flow. 3 Stocks Retirees Are Quietly Loading Up on in June
• Positive Sentiment: Another article also grouped Duke Energy with other utility stocks viewed as sources of passive income, which may support investor interest in the stock’s defensive dividend profile. 3 Utility Stocks For Years of Passive Income
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its price target on Duke Energy only modestly to $135 from $139 while keeping an outperform rating, suggesting analysts still see upside from current levels. Mizuho PT Lowered to $135 at Mizuho
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida issued a customer energy-use reminder ahead of summer, which is routine utility communications and not likely to materially move the stock. Summer starts June 21: Duke Energy Florida highlights five key appliances to help customers manage energy use
• Neutral Sentiment: Several local outage reports and safety demonstrations are operational headlines that reflect day-to-day utility issues rather than a major change in Duke Energy’s earnings outlook. Duke Energy: Hundreds of customers without power in Greenville County
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage about a regulator sitting out Duke Energy carbon plan decisions and a separate story about a city examining whether to leave the utility add a bit of regulatory and political uncertainty. Pro-coal state regulator won’t participate in Duke Energy Carbon Plan decisions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading commentary noted that Duke Energy has been declining more than the broader market, indicating some near-term pressure on shares. Duke Energy (DUK) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

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.