IFM Investors Pty Ltd Purchases 5,058 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 187,425 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,058 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $21,968,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,266,675,000 after acquiring an additional 230,375 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $960,139,000 after acquiring an additional 31,703 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,033,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $622,862,000 after acquiring an additional 12,758 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

DUK opened at $124.23 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.66 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 65.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Capitol Sec Mgt lowered shares of Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.93.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $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 available at this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s 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 owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy joined the new Careers Electric coalition, aiming to help train 25,000 workers over the next 10 years and strengthen the utility’s labor pipeline, especially in North Carolina. That could support Duke’s ability to staff grid and infrastructure projects as demand rises. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy approved up to $96 million in grants to help refurbish Duke’s coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, which may reduce capital burden and support grid reliability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Harry Sideris said electricity demand is growing at 10 times the historical pace, reinforcing the long-term case for regulated utilities like Duke as data-center and electrification demand accelerate. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke was named a “Moderate Buy” by brokerages, which supports a constructive longer-term view but is not a fresh catalyst by itself. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest remains elevated, with Duke appearing frequently in stock-watch and “trending stock” coverage, suggesting the market is still reassessing the utility’s growth story. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory headlines are weighing on sentiment, including questions over Duke’s role in attracting new data centers to North Carolina and concerns that a pause in solar procurement could affect customer bills and project timing. Article Title Article Title

Duke Energy 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.