Mariner LLC Increases Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Mariner LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,159,494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,980 shares during the period. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $135,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after buying an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,266,675,000 after buying an additional 230,375 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,046,818,000 after buying an additional 58,375 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $960,139,000 after purchasing an additional 31,703 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% 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.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $125.22 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.66 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $97.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $126.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.04.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho upped their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.93.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lower interest rates could be a tailwind for Duke Energy because they may reduce refinancing costs and make the utility’s dividend yield more attractive to income-focused investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted Duke Energy as a reliable “safe haven” dividend stock, noting 100 consecutive years of quarterly payouts and reinforcing the company’s appeal as a defensive utility holding. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Ohio Supreme Court news that Duke Energy can charge customers to close retired propane caverns supports recovery of utility costs and may ease regulatory pressure on earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $830,000 in America250 grants, completing more than $1 million in civic and history-related funding across its service territory. The initiative is positive for community relations but unlikely to move the stock materially. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several operational items, including nuclear siren testing and storm-related outage coverage, reflect routine utility activity and severe weather response rather than a clear fundamental change. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage about Duke seeking higher rates alongside gas-plant plans colliding with clean-energy goals could signal continued regulatory friction and uncertainty around future capital spending and approvals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A report on Duke Energy resource planning proceedings noted a pro-coal commissioner’s absence, underscoring ongoing debate around the company’s generation mix and long-term energy strategy. Article Title

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.