Reaves W H & Co. Inc. Cuts Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lessened its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 91.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,164 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 91,295 shares during the quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,266,675,000 after purchasing an additional 230,375 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $960,139,000 after purchasing an additional 31,703 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,281,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $901,146,000 after purchasing an additional 288,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,033,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $622,862,000 after purchasing an additional 12,758 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, 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 transaction of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on DUK. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.07.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida announced a third rate reduction this year, cutting residential bills by roughly 25% for summer months, which could improve customer goodwill and political/regulatory relations. Duke Energy Florida implements third rate reduction to lower residential customer bills by approximately 25% in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation awarded $500,000 in North Carolina grants to strengthen hurricane preparedness, underscoring resilience planning ahead of storm season. Ahead of hurricane season, Duke Energy Foundation awards $500,000 to strengthen storm preparedness across North Carolina
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest has been rising in Duke Energy as Zacks highlighted the stock and clean-energy/wind-sector themes that keep DUK in focus. Top Wind Energy Stocks to Watch Amid Increased Adoption of Clean Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Work continues on the $250 million redevelopment of Duke Energy’s former headquarters in uptown Charlotte, a long-term real estate milestone that is not expected to materially change near-term fundamentals. In uptown Charlotte, $250M revamp of old Duke Energy headquarters hits a milestone
• Negative Sentiment: The Florida rate cuts could weigh on revenue growth expectations in Duke Energy’s regulated utility business, even as they support customer affordability. Duke Energy Florida implements third rate reduction to lower residential customer bills by approximately 25% in 2026

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $122.62 on Monday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.39 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $127.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period last year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.24%.

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.