Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Sold by Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC

Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 579,699 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,972 shares during the quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $73,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sharp Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 4.5% during the first quarter. Sharp Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $246,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,648 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $478,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Elm Partners Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Elm Partners Management LLC now owns 9,254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,085,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Capitol Sec Mgt downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $125.04 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $97.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $124.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $125.42. 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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.085 per share. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on Duke Energy to $138 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling confidence in the utility’s earnings outlook and suggesting meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on Truist rating update
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan also lifted its price target to $141, even while keeping a Neutral rating, which still reflects expectations for solid longer-term value creation. Benzinga report on JPMorgan target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Duke Energy as one of the utilities best positioned for long-term growth thanks to its strong customer base and large capital expenditure program, with analysts pointing to contracted load and new demand from data centers as supportive of future earnings. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy is expected to report second-quarter results next month, and analysts are looking for a modest earnings increase, keeping attention on whether the company can deliver on its growth plans. Barchart article
• Neutral Sentiment: Local coverage suggests Clearwater may renew its long-term electricity contract with Duke Energy, which would help preserve customer relationships and support revenue stability. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina’s attorney general is challenging proposed Duke Energy Progress rate increases, adding another regulatory hurdle that could limit future pricing power and earnings growth. MSN article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reports say AG Jeff Jackson is seeking to block nearly $1 billion in Duke Energy rate hikes over the next two years, reinforcing investor concerns about regulatory pushback on returns. Yahoo News article

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.