Employees Retirement System of Texas Has $4.13 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Employees Retirement System of Texas lowered its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 54.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 35,256 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 42,453 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,309,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al raised its stake 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 worth $60,235,000 after purchasing an additional 420,005 shares in the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec raised its stake 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 worth $323,432,000 after purchasing an additional 419,992 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake 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 worth $59,376,000 after purchasing an additional 323,991 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $125.30 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $127.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.05. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $113.39 and a one year high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $97.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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

More Duke Energy News

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

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.