DB&C Advisors LLC Invests $920,000 in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

DB&C Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 7,846 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $920,000. Duke Energy makes up 1.2% of DB&C Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $124.28 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $126.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.98. 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 12-month low of $113.66 and a 12-month high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm’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 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 trade 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 value 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. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.93.

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.