ProShare Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 146,098 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,260 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $17,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13,750.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $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.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 24,462 shares of company stock worth $3,048,426 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $123.82 on Thursday. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.39 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $128.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 0.41.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy’s latest earnings call highlighted progress on its large growth plan, reinforcing the company’s long-term earnings and capital investment story. Duke Energy EPS Jumps as Massive Growth Plan Advances

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.67.

Duke Energy Company 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.