Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $48.97 Million Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 6.7% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 374,011 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 26,744 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $48,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. KeyCorp upgraded 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 research note on Thursday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.62.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of DUK opened at $130.54 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $125.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $101.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 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 company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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 3.3%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. 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: KeyCorp reiterated an Overweight rating on Duke Energy and raised its longer-term earnings outlook, nudging up FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029 EPS estimates. The firm also kept a $139 price target, suggesting confidence in Duke’s earnings growth trajectory.
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy unveiled its Customer Protection Plus framework, designed to support rapid data center-driven power demand while aiming to deliver billions in customer savings. Investors may view this as a constructive way to monetize infrastructure growth without triggering excessive pushback from customers. Duke Energy (DUK) Unveils Customer Savings Plan To Back Data Center Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, reinforcing Duke Energy’s appeal as an income stock and helping attract dividend-focused investors. Can Duke Energy (DUK) Justify Its Price As Its Higher Dividend Draws Attention?
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina leaders and regulators are pressuring Duke Energy to make its federal data-center pledge legally binding. This could support accountability and customer trust, but it also raises regulatory scrutiny around future growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory criticism of Duke’s proposed rate increases remains a headwind, with North Carolina’s attorney general saying the lowered request is still too high. That could add pressure to future profitability if rate approvals become more difficult.

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.