Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Increases Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 69,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,562 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,104,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $86,309,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 447.3% during the 4th quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 513,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,235,000 after buying an additional 420,005 shares in the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,613,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $323,432,000 after buying an additional 419,992 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 178.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 505,891 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $59,376,000 after buying an additional 323,991 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $141.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, April 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.00.

Duke Energy Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of DUK opened at $120.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.41. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.39 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.7 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Cayuga Energy Complex, signaling continued investment in its generation and infrastructure buildout, which can support future regulated-rate growth. Duke Energy holds a groundbreaking ceremony for their Cayuga Energy Complex
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported that no toxic algae was found at the Lake Norman site after an earlier state finding, which may reduce environmental and reputational concerns. Duke Energy: No toxic algae found at Lake Norman site where state said it was
• Neutral Sentiment: DUK remains a heavily watched stock, with investor attention likely reflecting interest in its defensive utility profile and upcoming rate/regulatory developments. Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Duke Energy’s North Carolina rate-increase hearing was postponed could delay a key catalyst for earnings and cash-flow improvement, but the impact is still uncertain. Duke Energy rate-increase hearing postponed over missed scheduling deadline
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s claims that a merger will save customers $2.3 billion and news about combining its two North Carolina utilities may help long-term efficiency, but investors are likely waiting to see regulatory details. Duke Energy claims merger to save customers $2.3 billion, double initial estimate
• Negative Sentiment: Questions around North Carolina policy and legal issues tied to Duke Energy’s solar plans could add uncertainty to future capital spending and regulatory approval. Shunning the sunshine? NC order for Duke Energy to hit brakes on solar raises policy, legal questions

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,462 shares of company stock valued at $3,048,426. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.