4,104 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Bought by Nikulski Financial Inc.

Nikulski Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 4,104 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $481,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $86,309,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 448.9% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 826,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $102,254,000 after buying an additional 675,768 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,301,165 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,442,269,000 after acquiring an additional 584,382 shares during the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 19.1% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,613,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $323,432,000 after acquiring an additional 419,992 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,281,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $901,146,000 after acquiring an additional 288,499 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $130.88 on Wednesday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $126.83 and its 200-day moving average is $123.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $111.22 and a 1 year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The business had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 67.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $137.80.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke completed the sale of its Tennessee Piedmont Natural Gas business to Spire for $2.48 billion; management says proceeds will help fund its large regulated capital plan, improving liquidity and lowering near-term funding pressure. Duke Energy completes sale of its Tennessee Piedmont Natural Gas business to Spire
• Positive Sentiment: Regulators approved a new ~$2.5 billion natural gas power plant in South Carolina — a large regulated asset that should expand rate base and future allowed returns. That supports longer-term earnings and capital recovery. Duke Energy wins approval for new $2.5B natural gas power plant in South Carolina
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets continue to list Duke as a defensive, dividend-paying utility during market volatility; that positioning can support investor demand but is not a direct catalyst. The Zacks Analyst Blog — Duke Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-term trading headlines noted the stock recently snapped a multi-session winning streak and has seen intraday gains on some sessions — market flow rather than new fundamentals. Duke Energy snaps six consecutive sessions of gains
• Negative Sentiment: Duke’s proposal to raise rates by as much as 18% in parts of North Carolina triggered a public hearing and strong customer opposition; regulatory pushback and political risk could delay or reduce the requested recovery and dent near-term earnings visibility. Duke Energy seeks 18% rate increase; Public hearing set for April 1
• Negative Sentiment: Reports show customer disconnections doubled for Duke Energy Carolinas in February and customers flooded hearings and media with complaints about rising bills — heightening reputational and regulatory scrutiny. That social/political pressure increases the chance regulators dial back rate requests or require mitigation. Disconnections among Duke Energy Carolinas customers doubled in February
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple news pieces and videos document customer backlash and hearings urging rejection of the hike; elevated media attention can increase political risk and contribute to short-term volatility. Battle Over Billing: Duke Energy customers decry proposed rate hikes

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.