Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Sold by Sterling Investment Counsel LLC

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC lessened its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,263 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 291 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in Duke Energy by 98.1% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 360.0% in the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% 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, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

DUK opened at $121.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $94.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $127.85. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.59.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). The company 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%. The firm’s 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, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 69.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.