Vestor Capital LLC Sells 50,444 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Vestor Capital LLC lowered its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 97.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 50,444 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. CCM Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.4% during the first quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 106,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,900,000 after buying an additional 2,455 shares in the last quarter. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC now owns 3,012 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,363,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 16.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 38,684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,070,000 after acquiring an additional 5,380 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its stake in Duke Energy by 19.3% in the first quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 58,288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,632,000 after acquiring an additional 9,443 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 value of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on DUK shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.62.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $125.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.17. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $97.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.38.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.085 dividend. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.24%.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have assigned Duke Energy a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, indicating generally favorable expectations for the stock. Duke Energy Corporation Given Consensus Rating of Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy’s upcoming second-quarter results are expected to benefit from grid investments, rising electricity demand and infrastructure milestones, with analysts looking for year-over-year EPS growth. Duke Energy to Release Q2 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: New underground power-line construction and plans to employ about 1,000 workers on multibillion-dollar generation projects underscore Duke Energy’s long-term capital-investment and reliability strategy, while potentially supporting future rate-base growth. Duke Energy Starts Installing Underground Power Lines
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy restored power to customers in western North Carolina following severe storms. The recovery demonstrates operational responsiveness, although storm-related restoration work can create short-term costs. Power Restored to Western North Carolina Customers
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina regulators reduced a proposed Duke Energy rate increase by nearly half. Although customer bills would still rise, the smaller increase could limit near-term revenue and earnings support relative to the company’s original request. North Carolina Duke Energy Rate Hike Is Cut

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.