Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Holdings Decreased by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,914 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,563 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after buying an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. 111 Capital acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $330,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.8% in the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 15,810 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,866,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Conservation efforts helped avert widespread outages and Duke says operations are returning to normal — this supports near-term reliability and limits major outage costs. ‘Back to normal operations’: Duke Energy says conservation worked, but warns of high bills
• Positive Sentiment: Company press releases thank customers in the Carolinas and Florida for conserving during extreme cold — positive PR and evidence of successful demand management that reduced system stress. Duke Energy: Thank you, Carolinas customers, for conserving energy during extreme cold on Monday morning
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading note: DUK recently dipped while the broader market gained — a short-term price movement that reflects mixed investor reaction to weather-related news and earnings outlook. Duke Energy (DUK) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect a decline in upcoming earnings and Zacks says Duke lacks the drivers typically needed for an earnings beat — this raises downside risk around the next report and could pressure the multiple. Analysts Estimate Duke Energy (DUK) to Report a Decline in Earnings: What to Look Out for
• Negative Sentiment: Requests to reduce power and reports of outages in Florida/North Carolina reflect operational stress from historic cold; while outages were largely avoided, higher-than-normal demand and warnings of elevated bills create potential regulatory, customer-relations and cost risks. Duke Energy asks customers to use less electricity as reports of outages impact Florida

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday. Mizuho increased their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.50.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on 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 trade represents a 41.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $121.71 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $110.51 and a one year high of $130.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $118.11 and its 200-day moving average is $121.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.51.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.51 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

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.