Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Holdings Raised by KKM Financial LLC

KKM Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,617 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises about 1.5% of KKM Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. KKM Financial LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,686,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 91.9% during the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,428 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $416,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.0%

DUK stock opened at $133.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $123.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.62. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $111.22 and a fifty-two week high of $134.12.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The company had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Morgan Stanley set a $139.00 target price on Duke Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $137.80.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory progress — Duke secured settlement support for its planned Carolinas utility combination, clearing a key hurdle toward consolidation and potential regulatory approval that could simplify operations and reduce costs. Duke Energy secures settlement support for Carolinas utility combination
• Positive Sentiment: Clean-energy growth — Duke opened its largest battery-storage facility in Knightdale, expanding firming capacity for renewables and supporting long-term earnings stability as the utility transitions generation mix. Duke Energy’s largest battery storage facility now open in Knightdale
• Positive Sentiment: Community resilience programs — The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500k in HERO grants to strengthen emergency preparedness across South Carolina, a modest but constructive CSR/operational resilience signal. SC agencies, nonprofits eligible for Duke Energy’s $500K emergency preparedness grants
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt/maturity management — Duke completed a $1.5B offering of 3.000% convertible notes, which helps refinance near-term maturities and preserves liquidity, though convertibles carry potential future dilution. Duke Energy Completes $1.5 Billion Convertible Notes Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational update — Local outage restoration updates (e.g., New Whiteland) and community feeding programs show steady operational responsiveness but have limited market impact. Duke Energy: Power should be back on in New Whiteland by 4 p.m. Duke Energy teams up with Blessings in a Backpack to feed Floyd County students over spring break
• Negative Sentiment: Major equity raise announced — Duke disclosed a $6 billion common-stock offering, which is likely why some investors are cautious: a large follow-on can materially dilute existing shareholders and pressure the share price despite funding needs. Duke Energy (DUK) Announces $6 Billion Common Stock Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political pushback — North Carolina residents are raising alarms over rising energy bills and pushing for audits amid rate-hike requests; public opposition can complicate ratemaking and future returns. NC residents sound alarm over rising energy bills, demand audit of Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Local legal dispute — A homeowner is fighting Duke in a high-profile Lake Norman boats lawsuit, a reputational/legal overhang with modest direct financial risk but possible local regulatory attention. Woman fights Duke Energy lawsuit that wants her famous big boats off Lake Norman

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.