Constant Guidance Financial LLC Buys New Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Constant Guidance Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $973,000. Duke Energy accounts for 0.7% of Constant Guidance Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $1,046,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 9.2% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 150,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $18,615,000 after purchasing an additional 12,677 shares during the period. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,118.3% in the third quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 99,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,308,000 after purchasing an additional 91,295 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.4% in the third quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 371,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,942,000 after purchasing an additional 43,925 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 51.9% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 49,068 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,072,000 after purchasing an additional 16,772 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $125.30 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $97.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $127.79 and its 200 day moving average is $124.05. 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 $113.39 and a 52-week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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 issued a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.24%.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: South Carolina regulators approved Duke Energy’s new PowerShare Storage program, which lets nonresidential customers earn bill credits by using storage assets to help manage peak demand. The move supports grid reliability while creating a customer-friendly revenue opportunity. New Duke Energy program helps South Carolina nonresidential customers lower costs while supporting a growing grid
• Positive Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation awarded $130,000 to Florida organizations for storm preparedness and community resiliency ahead of hurricane season, reinforcing the company’s focus on protecting critical infrastructure and reducing outage risk. Ahead of hurricane season, Duke Energy Foundation awards $130,000 to 10 organizations advancing storm preparedness and community resiliency
• Positive Sentiment: Another report said Duke Energy grants in Florida are tied to long-term grid resilience and storm readiness, which may help reduce operational disruptions and support its regulated utility profile. Duke Energy Grants Tie Florida Storm Readiness To Long Term Grid Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141 but kept an Equal Weight rating, suggesting a more cautious valuation view rather than a major change in fundamentals. Morgan Stanley Revises Duke Energy (DUK) Valuation Following Utility Sector Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting that utilities have lagged Duke Energy this year appears more descriptive than catalytic, and is unlikely to be a major near-term driver by itself. Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Duke Energy (DUK) This Year?
• Negative Sentiment: The stock may face some pressure from commentary highlighting that Duke Energy has already rallied relative to peers, while broader utility-sector performance remains mixed. Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Duke Energy (DUK) This Year?
• Positive Sentiment: A report that Duke Energy rate hikes were affirmed by the Supreme Court is supportive for earnings visibility and regulated returns, which is generally favorable for utility investors. Duke Energy rate hikes affirmed by Supreme Court

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, January 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.07.

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.