Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires 162,856 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 18.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,056,922 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 162,856 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $133,785,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management grew its position in Duke Energy by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of DUK opened at $123.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $96.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $125.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $126.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%.The company had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.085 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. KeyCorp raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $139.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.44.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 results: Duke reported adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share, ahead of the $1.30 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $7.59 billion. The company reaffirmed its 2026 EPS guidance of $6.55-$6.80 and its target for 5%-7% annual EPS growth through 2030. Duke Energy Q2 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Large-load growth opportunity: Duke said contracted data-center and industrial demand could create $5 billion-$10 billion of additional capital investment, with new loads expected to begin taking power in late 2027. Its data-center pipeline has increased by 2.7 gigawatts since late 2025, potentially supporting regulated rate-base growth and long-term earnings. Duke Energy data-center pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Lower-cost North Carolina rate plan: Duke Energy Progress reached a stakeholder agreement that cuts the proposed rate increase by more than half while preserving infrastructure investment. Duke will also provide an additional $10 million for customers in need, reducing near-term regulatory friction. Duke Energy Progress rate agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain above the market price: Barclays and BMO lowered their price targets to $132 but retained bullish ratings of “overweight” and “outperform,” respectively, implying roughly 7% upside based on the cited price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Hotter-than-normal summer weather in Florida is boosting electricity demand and could support near-term utility sales, although higher usage also increases customer bills and system strain. Duke Energy Florida summer demand
• Negative Sentiment: Equity issuance and execution risk: Duke plans to issue up to $10 billion in equity to fund more than $1 billion per month of investment in generation and infrastructure. The financing could dilute existing shareholders and raises questions about capital requirements and returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal pushback: North Carolina advocates argue Duke has overstated demand projections, while the governor supports a challenge to a proposed rate hike. Separate legal opposition targets Duke and Amazon’s plans to use diesel generation for a North Carolina data center, creating uncertainty around project timing and costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent outages affecting thousands of customers in North Carolina are operational blemishes, though their limited duration makes a material financial impact unlikely.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

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.