Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,560,564 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,995 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.20% of Duke Energy worth $193,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,301,165 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,442,269,000 after purchasing an additional 584,382 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,684,447 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,205,070,000 after buying an additional 319,001 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 11,417.7% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,084,917,000 after acquiring an additional 17,515,383 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,691,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,025,244,000 after acquiring an additional 34,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,338,489 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $747,942,000 after acquiring an additional 216,541 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on DUK from $130 to $139 (keeps Equal Weight), signaling modest analyst confidence in upside to valuation. Morgan Stanley Retains an Equal Weight Rating on Duke Energy Corporation (DUK)
• Positive Sentiment: Duke is expanding microgrid projects, virtual power plant participation (home solar/battery) and committed $500k in environmental grants — moves that support long‑term demand, grid resilience and regulatory goodwill. Assessing Duke Energy (DUK) Valuation After New Grid Projects And Environmental Grants
• Positive Sentiment: Duke announced a quarterly dividend ($1.065) maintaining a ~3.3% yield — supports income investors and reduces downside from income-driven selling. Duke Energy Stock / Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Duke’s nuclear fleet set a reliability record in the Carolinas bolster operating stability and capacity availability. Duke Energy’s Nuclear Fleet Reliability Record
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer/market writeups include Duke on dividend/utility stock lists tied to AI/grid upgrade themes — increases investor interest but not an immediate catalyst. 4 Dividend Stocks to Double Up On Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Small local charitable donations reported (e.g., $10K to a community center) — positive PR but immaterial to fundamentals. Duke Energy Donates $10K
• Negative Sentiment: Customer billing issues in Greater Cincinnati — many customers saw unexpectedly higher bills linked to a reported $14M billing error, increasing political/regulatory scrutiny and potential reputational damage. Greater Cincinnati customers surprised by higher Duke Energy bills this month
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory change: Duke will replace its ‘gas cost recovery’ charge with a ‘standard service offer’ — this could alter fuel-cost pass‑through mechanics and near‑term cashflow dynamics. Duke Energy to replace ‘gas cost recovery’ charge with ‘standard service offer’
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure rising: Indiana opened an affordability inquiry and reporting expects a spike in disconnections after winter storms — both increase regulatory and collection risk. Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission launching an inquiry into energy affordability Spike in Duke Energy disconnections anticipated
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Regis Repko sold 962 shares on Feb 24; broader reports show multiple senior insiders reduced holdings — can be perceived negatively by some investors. Regis Repko Sells 962 Shares SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~27.7% in February to ~17.17M shares (~2.2% of float), increasing potential downward pressure and catalyst-driven volatility. MarketBeat DUK

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $129.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $111.22 and a 12 month high of $130.03. The company has a market capitalization of $100.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $120.80 and its 200 day moving average is $122.06.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 67.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.75.

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.