Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Sold by Payden & Rygel

Payden & Rygel lowered its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 17.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 159,140 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 33,970 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy makes up about 1.4% of Payden & Rygel’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Payden & Rygel’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $18,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 70,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,910,000 after purchasing an additional 9,562 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its stake in Duke Energy by 15.3% in the second quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 1,283,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $162,429,000 after purchasing an additional 170,700 shares during the period. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $17,106,000. V. M. Manning & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $2,432,000. Finally, Cohen Klingenstein LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $2,051,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $127.39 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market cap of $99.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $112.40 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a $1.0850 dividend. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.17%.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy was highlighted among five high-yield companies that raised their dividend payouts in 2026. Continued dividend growth reinforces the stock’s appeal to income-focused investors and signals confidence in future cash flow. 5 High-Yield Dividend Stocks That Raised Their Payouts in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans to seek a large-load tariff in South Carolina, potentially allowing it to better recover infrastructure costs from major electricity users such as data centers and industrial customers. The move could improve revenue visibility and support investment in grid capacity. Duke Energy to Seek Large Load Tariff for South Carolina
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy completed a 74.9-megawatt solar project in Florida, adding regulated renewable capacity and supporting its clean-energy transition. The project may contribute to long-term rate-base growth, although near-term earnings impact is likely limited. Duke Energy Completes Solar Project in Florida
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings growth and see conditions that could support a beat in Duke Energy’s upcoming report, providing a near-term catalyst for the shares. Duke Energy Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: Compared with Constellation Energy, Duke Energy offers a higher dividend yield, lower valuation and lower volatility, characteristics that may attract investors seeking defensive exposure rather than maximum growth. CEG vs. DUK
• Neutral Sentiment: Local reports described outages after vehicle accidents damaged utility equipment. These incidents are operationally routine and appear unlikely to materially affect Duke Energy’s investment outlook, though restoration costs and customer dissatisfaction remain risks. Duke Energy Reports Outages
• Neutral Sentiment: A contractor was hospitalized after an incident at Oxford Dam, creating a potential safety and liability issue but no reported material financial impact. Duke Energy Contractor Hospitalized
• Negative Sentiment: A report questioned Duke Energy’s North Carolina electricity-demand forecast. If projected demand growth is overstated, expected rate-base expansion and infrastructure returns could be less compelling. A disputed customer bill also adds limited reputational risk. Report Questions Duke Energy Demand Forecast

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on DUK shares. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $146.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Truist Financial cut their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, October 12th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $123.00 price objective for the company. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.19.

Duke Energy Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is an energy holding company that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the United States. Its electric utilities generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.

Duke Energy serves customers primarily in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.