Swiss National Bank Decreases Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,130,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 109,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.27% of Duke Energy worth $249,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 54,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,440,000 after buying an additional 4,112 shares during the last quarter. Fox Hill Wealth Management increased its position in Duke Energy by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Fox Hill Wealth Management now owns 29,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,411,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 58,251 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,828,000 after buying an additional 966 shares during the last quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 321.1% in the fourth quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,689 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,722,000 after buying an additional 11,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 8,627 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,011,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy joined the new Careers Electric coalition, aiming to help train 25,000 workers over the next 10 years and strengthen the utility’s labor pipeline, especially in North Carolina. That could support Duke’s ability to staff grid and infrastructure projects as demand rises. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy approved up to $96 million in grants to help refurbish Duke’s coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, which may reduce capital burden and support grid reliability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Harry Sideris said electricity demand is growing at 10 times the historical pace, reinforcing the long-term case for regulated utilities like Duke as data-center and electrification demand accelerate. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke was named a “Moderate Buy” by brokerages, which supports a constructive longer-term view but is not a fresh catalyst by itself. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest remains elevated, with Duke appearing frequently in stock-watch and “trending stock” coverage, suggesting the market is still reassessing the utility’s growth story. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory headlines are weighing on sentiment, including questions over Duke’s role in attracting new data centers to North Carolina and concerns that a pause in solar procurement could affect customer bills and project timing. Article Title Article Title

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

Duke Energy stock opened at $124.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $96.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.66 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $126.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.00. 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 announced its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 65.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho raised their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Capitol Sec Mgt cut shares of Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.93.

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.