Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Has $697,000 Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 87 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $697,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 98.1% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 360.0% during the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of DUK opened at $121.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $122.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.59. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $127.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.50.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.