Clough Capital Partners L P Grows Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Clough Capital Partners L P lifted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 13.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,522 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,170 shares during the period. Clough Capital Partners L P’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Duke Energy by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $312,067,000 after buying an additional 965,808 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $965,446,000 after buying an additional 954,907 shares during the last quarter. Milford Funds Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $97,905,000. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 83.3% in the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 1,711,445 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $200,598,000 after purchasing an additional 777,878 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp reiterated an Overweight rating on Duke Energy and raised its longer-term earnings outlook, nudging up FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029 EPS estimates. The firm also kept a $139 price target, suggesting confidence in Duke’s earnings growth trajectory.
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy unveiled its Customer Protection Plus framework, designed to support rapid data center-driven power demand while aiming to deliver billions in customer savings. Investors may view this as a constructive way to monetize infrastructure growth without triggering excessive pushback from customers. Duke Energy (DUK) Unveils Customer Savings Plan To Back Data Center Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, reinforcing Duke Energy’s appeal as an income stock and helping attract dividend-focused investors. Can Duke Energy (DUK) Justify Its Price As Its Higher Dividend Draws Attention?
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina leaders and regulators are pressuring Duke Energy to make its federal data-center pledge legally binding. This could support accountability and customer trust, but it also raises regulatory scrutiny around future growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory criticism of Duke’s proposed rate increases remains a headwind, with North Carolina’s attorney general saying the lowered request is still too high. That could add pressure to future profitability if rate approvals become more difficult.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $130.54 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $125.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.85. The company has a market capitalization of $101.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.38. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $113.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Evercore upped their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.62.

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.