Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Sold by BCS Wealth Management

BCS Wealth Management decreased its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 50.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,332 shares during the quarter. BCS Wealth Management’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented 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 objective on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.07.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:DUK opened at $125.28 on Wednesday. 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 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.16.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted 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. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: DUK has been firm after its latest quarterly report showed better-than-expected results, with EPS of $1.93 versus $1.87 expected and revenue of $9.18 billion versus $8.44 billion expected, reinforcing confidence in earnings momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Environmental groups are challenging North Carolina’s pause on Duke Energy solar projects, keeping the company’s clean-energy buildout and regulatory environment in the spotlight. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy is working to restore power to thousands of customers after storms, and local outage-related work in Wrightsville Beach could create short-term operational noise but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and local media also highlighted Duke Energy’s Carbon Plan and a discussion of a takeover proposal, but these items appear more informational than immediately price-moving. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The main negative catalyst is regulatory pressure: Duke Energy lowered its proposed North Carolina rate hike after objections from the state attorney general and public pushback, which could limit future earnings growth from customer rate relief. Article Title Article Title

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.