MQS Management LLC Purchases Shares of 7,182 Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $842,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 13,750.0% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of DUK opened at $125.78 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $128.24 and its 200 day moving average is $124.02. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.39 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $498,142.56. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,462 shares of company stock worth $3,048,426. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Mizuho boosted 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 boosted 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. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.07.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is being viewed as a potential beneficiary of surging power demand from data centers, which could support future generation growth and regulated utility investment opportunities. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated its bullish view by keeping Duke Energy on its Conviction List and assigning a $132 target, signaling confidence in regulatory progress and the company’s expansion plans. Why Duke Energy (DUK) Is Becoming a Data Center Power Demand Play
• Positive Sentiment: Utility-sector demand tailwinds linked to AI infrastructure are also supporting sentiment toward Duke Energy and other dividend-paying utilities. These 3 Utility Stocks Have Been Paying Dividends for Decades and AI Data Centers Just Made Them More Valuable
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina lawmakers moved to require approval for replacement nuclear capacity before Duke can retire coal plants, which could slow the company’s transition plans but may also protect near-term generation reliability and earnings visibility. North Carolina lawmakers just moved to block Duke Energy from closing coal plants until new nuclear is approved to replace every lost megawatt
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141 while maintaining an Equalweight rating, a modestly softer analyst signal but still above the recent share price. Morgan Stanley adjusts price target on Duke Energy to 132 from 141
• Neutral Sentiment: Other items, including local outage and customer-service updates, appear operational in nature and are unlikely to materially affect the stock. Power restored for Duke Energy customers in Sullivan County

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.