Bank OZK Reduces Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Bank OZK lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 36.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,356 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,534 shares during the quarter. Bank OZK’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,301,165 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,442,269,000 after buying an additional 584,382 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11,417.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,084,917,000 after acquiring an additional 17,515,383 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,691,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,025,244,000 after acquiring an additional 34,906 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,281,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $901,146,000 after purchasing an additional 288,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in 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 valued at $747,942,000 after purchasing an additional 216,541 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $133.17 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $111.22 and a twelve month high of $134.12. The firm has a market cap of $103.56 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.41%.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory progress — Duke secured settlement support for its planned Carolinas utility combination, clearing a key hurdle toward consolidation and potential regulatory approval that could simplify operations and reduce costs. Duke Energy secures settlement support for Carolinas utility combination
• Positive Sentiment: Clean-energy growth — Duke opened its largest battery-storage facility in Knightdale, expanding firming capacity for renewables and supporting long-term earnings stability as the utility transitions generation mix. Duke Energy’s largest battery storage facility now open in Knightdale
• Positive Sentiment: Community resilience programs — The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500k in HERO grants to strengthen emergency preparedness across South Carolina, a modest but constructive CSR/operational resilience signal. SC agencies, nonprofits eligible for Duke Energy’s $500K emergency preparedness grants
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt/maturity management — Duke completed a $1.5B offering of 3.000% convertible notes, which helps refinance near-term maturities and preserves liquidity, though convertibles carry potential future dilution. Duke Energy Completes $1.5 Billion Convertible Notes Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational update — Local outage restoration updates (e.g., New Whiteland) and community feeding programs show steady operational responsiveness but have limited market impact. Duke Energy: Power should be back on in New Whiteland by 4 p.m. Duke Energy teams up with Blessings in a Backpack to feed Floyd County students over spring break
• Negative Sentiment: Major equity raise announced — Duke disclosed a $6 billion common-stock offering, which is likely why some investors are cautious: a large follow-on can materially dilute existing shareholders and pressure the share price despite funding needs. Duke Energy (DUK) Announces $6 Billion Common Stock Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political pushback — North Carolina residents are raising alarms over rising energy bills and pushing for audits amid rate-hike requests; public opposition can complicate ratemaking and future returns. NC residents sound alarm over rising energy bills, demand audit of Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Local legal dispute — A homeowner is fighting Duke in a high-profile Lake Norman boats lawsuit, a reputational/legal overhang with modest direct financial risk but possible local regulatory attention. Woman fights Duke Energy lawsuit that wants her famous big boats off Lake Norman

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on DUK. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.80.

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.