Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $23.56 Million Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 201,010 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,504 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $23,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,825,000 after buying an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 523.4% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $954,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE DUK opened at $124.28 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $126.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.98. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.66 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on DUK. Capitol Sec Mgt cut Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group cut their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.93.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in grant funding to upgrade coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, lifting total federal support for Duke projects to nearly $96 million. The funding should help improve reliability and may reduce customer costs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it sees data centers driving power demand growth at roughly 10x historic pace, which supports a longer-term growth story for utility load and capital investment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy also received a separate $61.8 million DOE grant headline from market coverage, reinforcing investor interest in federal support for its coal plant modernization efforts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 in grants for South Carolina emergency preparedness and another $500,000 for small-business support in North Carolina. These are positive for reputation, but likely limited direct stock impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina customers and consumer groups are pushing back hard against Duke Energy’s proposed 18% rate hike, which could increase regulatory scrutiny and weigh on sentiment if approval becomes difficult. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: St. Petersburg approved a feasibility study on leaving Duke Energy Florida for a city-run utility, a reminder of customer dissatisfaction and a potential long-term competitive/regulatory risk. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.