Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) CEO Louis Renjel Sells 3,500 Shares of Stock

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) CEO Louis 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 transaction of $438,025.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $125.11 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $97.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $129.42 and its 200 day moving average is $124.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $111.22 and a 52-week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 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 firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.80 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it applied for U.S. Department of Energy loans that could support grid upgrades, added capacity, and potentially billions of dollars in customer savings. That could help fund long-term growth and improve the investment case. Duke Energy applies for Department of Energy loans that represent potentially billions of dollars in customer savings
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on Duke Energy, signaling continued analyst confidence in the utility’s earnings and valuation outlook. Evercore raises Duke Energy price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage around maintenance work and volunteer/community activity is largely non-financial and unlikely to materially affect the stock. Duke Energy volunteers help Terre Haute Humane Society
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target, but the new target still implies upside, so the downgrade appears modest rather than a major bearish shift. Jefferies lowers Duke Energy price target
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares in a disclosed transaction. While insider sales are not always a bearish fundamental signal, they can create near-term investor caution. SEC Form 4 filing for CEO share sale
• Negative Sentiment: Another disclosed sale by CEO Louis E. Renjel also adds to insider-selling headlines, which may weigh on sentiment even though the company’s core business remains stable. SEC Form 4 filing for CEO share sale

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $141.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 523.4% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter worth about $954,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Company 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.