Maven Securities LTD Purchases Shares of 13,450 Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Maven Securities LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 13,450 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,576,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,021,996 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $120,876,000 after purchasing an additional 61,347 shares during the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $871,000. KCM Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,872 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after purchasing an additional 731 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Destination Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 4,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.93.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary are highlighting Duke Energy as a defensive, low-volatility utility pick as inflation jumps and oil prices surge, which can draw investors toward stable dividend names like DUK. 3 Low-Beta Utility Stocks to Buy as Inflation Jumps to Three-Year High
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Duke Energy could keep rising, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the company’s earnings outlook, utility stability, and rate-driven growth profile. Duke Energy: Why This Utility Could Keep Rising
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy received up to $96 million in federal coal plant grants, which could help offset refurbishment costs and support grid reliability without passing as much expense to customers. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Winning US$96 Million In Federal Coal Plant Grants
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive, with Duke Energy carrying an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, 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 value of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $124.91 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.66 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.02. The company has a market cap of $97.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted 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 return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

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.