Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Position Boosted by Keybank National Association OH

Keybank National Association OH lifted its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 13.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 371,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,925 shares during the quarter. Keybank National Association OH’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $45,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 42.2% in the second quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 7,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $878,000 after buying an additional 2,210 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 37.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 41,642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,153,000 after acquiring an additional 11,409 shares in the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 88,018 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,892,000 after purchasing an additional 10,108 shares during the last quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 274,630 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,985,000 after purchasing an additional 27,820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 93,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,604,000 after purchasing an additional 10,580 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. This trade represents a 41.91% 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. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $121.23 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $110.51 and a 1 year high of $130.03. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $118.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The firm had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend — Duke declared a quarterly dividend of $1.065 per share, supporting yield-seeking investors and steady income appeal. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Higher near-term demand from cold snap — Prolonged low temperatures across the Carolinas and a cold spell in Florida are driving higher residential heating load, which should increase near-term revenue; Duke is also promoting customer assistance programs to manage bills. Higher Energy Use Florida Cold Spell
• Positive Sentiment: Operational resilience — Duke reports restoration of power to ~150,000 North Carolina homes and is mobilizing for an upcoming winter storm; messaging that outage risk is lower for snow vs. ice may limit prolonged service disruptions and related costs. Power Restoration Outage Risk
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer scam warnings — Multiple local outlets report impersonation texts and fake outage messages targeting Duke customers; the company is warning customers and advising precautions. This is a reputational/operational nuisance but not a direct earnings driver. Scam Warning
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cut — RBC Capital trimmed its target on Duke, which can pressure sentiment and cap near-term upside from analyst-following investors. RBC Target Trim
• Negative Sentiment: Peaker gas-plant consideration — Duke is evaluating a Rockingham County site for potential gas-fired “peaker” plants; this could trigger local opposition, regulatory scrutiny and incremental capital spending. Peaker Plant Site
• Negative Sentiment: Political/PR risk — Coverage questions Duke’s involvement in campaigns opposing municipal moves in Pinellas County, which could heighten regulatory/political risk and negative public attention. Pinellas County Coverage

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

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.