ABN Amro Investment Solutions Has $4.78 Million Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 13.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,469 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,463 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,775,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after buying an additional 1,957,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,266,675,000 after buying an additional 230,375 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,046,818,000 after buying an additional 58,375 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $960,139,000 after acquiring an additional 31,703 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $127.96 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.89 and a 1 year high of $134.49.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.085 dividend. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.60.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy reached a North Carolina rate settlement that significantly trims the proposed increase, which could improve the outlook for future revenue and reduce uncertainty for investors.
• Positive Sentiment: The company was highlighted as a trending stock, suggesting increased investor attention and trading interest around Duke Energy shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received coverage tied to dividend growth and data-center demand trends, reinforcing the stock’s appeal as a defensive income name with growth catalysts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy awarded $35,000 to West Terre Haute nonprofits, a positive community-relations item but not likely to materially affect the stock price.
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina officials, including the attorney general, continue to push back on the rate settlement, keeping regulatory scrutiny elevated and leaving some downside risk if approvals become more difficult.
• Negative Sentiment: News that Duke Energy ended a wind lease off the North Carolina coast adds a bit of uncertainty around its clean-energy strategy, though the immediate financial impact appears limited.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.