Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Position Lifted by Oak Grove Capital LLC

Oak Grove Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 30.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 278,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 65,750 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.4% of Oak Grove Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Oak Grove Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $31,736,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 154.6% during the 1st quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $133.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. 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, July 23rd. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $146.00 to $131.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.12.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Data-center agreement could protect customers and support growth. Duke Energy and North Carolina regulators reached a settlement requiring data centers and other large-load customers to pay upfront grid-connection costs and provide additional protections against stranded infrastructure expenses. The arrangement could reduce cost-shifting to existing customers while allowing Duke to benefit from rising electricity demand from technology companies. Duke Energy comes to an agreement on large load tariff
• Positive Sentiment: Income-focused commentary remains supportive. Jim Cramer said Duke’s decline makes the stock potentially attractive, particularly if its dividend yield reaches about 4%. Other recent coverage highlights Duke as a regulated utility with relatively visible cash flows and dividend appeal, which may help attract defensive investors. Jim Cramer weighs Duke Energy against an income alternative
• Neutral Sentiment: Hurricane Isaias preparations are underway. Duke is mobilizing crews and warning customers in Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina about possible outages from heavy rain and strong winds. The response demonstrates operational readiness, but storm damage, restoration costs and service disruptions could create short-term financial and sentiment pressure. Duke Energy prepares for Isaias
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is facing scrutiny. Analysts and income-investing coverage are questioning whether Duke’s share price is fully supported by its dividend stream after a 43.9% three-year return. This could limit upside until earnings, dividend growth or the yield becomes more compelling. Is Duke Energy priced above what its dividend can support?

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $116.62 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $119.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.11. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $112.40 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $90.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The company had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.0850 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.17%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) is an energy holding company that operates regulated electric and natural gas utilities in the United States. Its electric utilities generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers.

The company serves customers across the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Duke Energy also operates natural gas utilities and related infrastructure in several states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.