The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $113.98 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 87.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 870,441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,335,118 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.11% of Duke Energy worth $113,976,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock opened at $129.36 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $113.89 and a twelve month high of $134.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The company has a market cap of $100.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s fifty day moving average is $125.51 and its 200-day moving average is $126.02.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.085 dividend. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.24%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction 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 $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Duke Energy’s upcoming earnings to grow and identify factors that could support an earnings beat. A favorable report could reinforce investor confidence in the company’s regulated growth outlook. Duke Energy Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: Duke says expanding data-center demand should create long-term customer savings, suggesting a potential source of load growth and infrastructure investment. The company also promised not to raise rates to cover data-center costs, which may reduce near-term political and customer backlash. Duke Energy Says Data Center Growth Will Deliver Long-Term Customer Savings Duke Energy Promises No Rate Hikes
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparable utility results were encouraging: DTE Energy beat second-quarter estimates despite a year-over-year earnings decline, while CenterPoint Energy reported an adjusted earnings beat and 10.7% revenue growth. The reports provide sector context but do not directly change Duke’s earnings outlook. DTE Energy Q2 Earnings CenterPoint Energy Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced another $1 million for North Carolina nonprofits, taking total customer-assistance and community support above $65 million since 2016. The initiative may strengthen community relations but has limited direct earnings impact. Duke Energy North Carolina Customer Assistance
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina officials and an attorney general are pressing Duke to protect ratepayers from data-center-related costs. Although Duke reduced its proposed rate increase and says data centers will not drive customer rate hikes, continued political and regulatory opposition could delay approvals or constrain returns. Attorney General Calls for Data Center Protections Duke Energy Rate Increase Opposition
• Negative Sentiment: Storm-related outages left thousands of Duke customers without power, creating potential near-term restoration costs and reputational pressure. Duke Energy Power Outages

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 target price on Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Mizuho decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Evercore boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $139.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.62.

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.