Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Sells 10,929 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 65.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,738 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,929 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,716,783 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,934,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154,783 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,684,447 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,205,070,000 after buying an additional 319,001 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 11,417.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,084,917,000 after buying an additional 17,515,383 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.4% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,691,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,025,244,000 after acquiring an additional 34,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,338,489 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $747,942,000 after acquiring an additional 216,541 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.19.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. This represents a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $142 and maintained a Buy rating — adds analyst support and upside to the stock. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target on Duke Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Duke reported solid results (beat expectations) and set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $6.55–$6.80, supporting earnings-driven upside and dividend coverage. Duke Energy Beats Expectations, Continues To Be A Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Federal judge dismissed a small town’s climate-change suit against Duke, removing a source of legal and regulatory uncertainty. Judge quashes small town’s climate change suit against Duke Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center demand remains strong — Duke’s pipeline hit ~4.5 GW, providing a durable load-growth avenue that supports long-term regulated earnings. Duke Energy’s data center pipeline hits 4.5 gigawatts
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke is deploying AI to detect scams targeting customers — lowers fraud risk and potential losses, but is primarily operational/PR. Duke Energy leverages AI to protect customers and combat scams
• Neutral Sentiment: Company announced customer-support resources after a Florida cold snap — helps mitigate customer backlash from higher winter bills but highlights bill volatility. Duke Energy is here to help Florida customers after cold snap
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Duke earning nearly $5B in 2025 while still requesting rate increases — positive for future revenue if approved, but keeps regulatory and PR scrutiny front-and-center. Duke Energy earned nearly $5B in 2025. It is still requesting a rate hike
• Neutral Sentiment: Local complaints about “radical” tree trimming and streetlight issues are generating local headlines — reputational noise with limited immediate financial impact. Answer Man: ‘Radical tree trimming’ by Duke Energy contractors
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Louis Renjel sold 6,800 shares (about $868k) and reduced his holdings ~23.6% — insider selling can weigh on sentiment, though not uncommon after compensation events. SEC Form 4 – Louis E. Renjel
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg is taking steps to consider switching to a city-run utility — a municipal departure could be a long-term demand and political risk if it gains traction elsewhere. St. Petersburg takes steps to consider dropping Duke Energy

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:DUK opened at $128.14 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $110.51 and a 52 week high of $130.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $118.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 67.41%.

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.