Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Reduces Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. cut its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 47.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,325 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 37.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 41,642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,153,000 after buying an additional 11,409 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,046,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 274,630 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,985,000 after acquiring an additional 27,820 shares during the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 88,018 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,892,000 after purchasing an additional 10,108 shares during the period. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 93,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,604,000 after purchasing an additional 10,580 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:DUK opened at $130.88 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $111.22 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $101.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $126.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.33.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 67.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% 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.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Closed sale of Tennessee Piedmont Natural Gas for $2.48 billion — Duke announced the transaction closed March 31; proceeds are earmarked to help fund the company’s large regulated capital plan, improving liquidity and de‑leveraging options. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval for a $2.5 billion natural‑gas power plant in South Carolina — A new plant approval supports future regulated earnings growth and reliability investments, reinforcing Duke’s capital‑spend runway. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Seen as a defensive name by analysts — Several analyst notes and lists highlight utilities (including DUK) for dividend stability and low beta amid market volatility, which can attract risk‑averse capital. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Localized outage in Jeffersonville quickly restored — A downtown outage affected hundreds of customers but service was restored; operational impact appears limited and not company‑wide. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Proposed rate hike (up to ~18%) sparks strong customer and political pushback across the Carolinas — Public hearings saw customers urging regulators to reject or reduce the request; heightened scrutiny increases execution risk and could delay or shrink allowed increases. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising disconnections among Duke Energy Carolinas customers — Reports show disconnections doubled in February, which amplifies affordability concerns and regulatory/political pressure tied to rate requests. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Scotiabank raised their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.80.

About Duke Energy

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.