Bonnie Titone Sells 2,000 Shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) SVP Bonnie Titone sold 2,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $124.2140 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $127.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $119.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.35.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.07.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.