Morningstar Investment Management LLC Buys 4,673 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Morningstar Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 21.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,772 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,673 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC now owns 2,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.5% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 325,823 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,663,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536 shares in the last quarter. FCA Corp TX grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.0% in the first quarter. FCA Corp TX now owns 9,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,298,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 6.9% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 21,420 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,805,000 after acquiring an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $130.54 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $125.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.79. The company has a market cap of $101.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.38. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.085 per share. 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. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer 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. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. KeyCorp raised Duke Energy from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $139.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial raised their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.62.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp reiterated an Overweight rating on Duke Energy and raised its longer-term earnings outlook, nudging up FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029 EPS estimates. The firm also kept a $139 price target, suggesting confidence in Duke’s earnings growth trajectory.
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy unveiled its Customer Protection Plus framework, designed to support rapid data center-driven power demand while aiming to deliver billions in customer savings. Investors may view this as a constructive way to monetize infrastructure growth without triggering excessive pushback from customers. Duke Energy (DUK) Unveils Customer Savings Plan To Back Data Center Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, reinforcing Duke Energy’s appeal as an income stock and helping attract dividend-focused investors. Can Duke Energy (DUK) Justify Its Price As Its Higher Dividend Draws Attention?
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina leaders and regulators are pressuring Duke Energy to make its federal data-center pledge legally binding. This could support accountability and customer trust, but it also raises regulatory scrutiny around future growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory criticism of Duke’s proposed rate increases remains a headwind, with North Carolina’s attorney general saying the lowered request is still too high. That could add pressure to future profitability if rate approvals become more difficult.

Duke Energy 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.