Decker Wealth Management LLC Acquires New Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Decker Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 5,476 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $717,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 7.1% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,282,341 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $298,850,000 after purchasing an additional 151,400 shares during the period. Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $275,000. WealthTrust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $259,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,143 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $673,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the period. Finally, Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 22,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,950,000 after buying an additional 1,613 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% 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 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $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. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Capitol Sec Mgt cut Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.73.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $125.04 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $113.89 and a 52 week high of $134.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market cap of $97.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $124.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.48.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on Duke Energy to $138 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling confidence in the utility’s earnings outlook and suggesting meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on Truist rating update
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan also lifted its price target to $141, even while keeping a Neutral rating, which still reflects expectations for solid longer-term value creation. Benzinga report on JPMorgan target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Duke Energy as one of the utilities best positioned for long-term growth thanks to its strong customer base and large capital expenditure program, with analysts pointing to contracted load and new demand from data centers as supportive of future earnings. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy is expected to report second-quarter results next month, and analysts are looking for a modest earnings increase, keeping attention on whether the company can deliver on its growth plans. Barchart article
• Neutral Sentiment: Local coverage suggests Clearwater may renew its long-term electricity contract with Duke Energy, which would help preserve customer relationships and support revenue stability. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina’s attorney general is challenging proposed Duke Energy Progress rate increases, adding another regulatory hurdle that could limit future pricing power and earnings growth. MSN article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reports say AG Jeff Jackson is seeking to block nearly $1 billion in Duke Energy rate hikes over the next two years, reinforcing investor concerns about regulatory pushback on returns. Yahoo News article

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.