Probity Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Probity Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,173 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 179 shares during the period. Probity Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 98.1% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 360.0% during the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on Duke Energy and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.77.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of DUK opened at $129.00 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $123.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.17. The stock has a market cap of $100.31 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $129.51.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

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.