Pacer Advisors Inc. Cuts Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 31.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 48,598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 22,125 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 62.7% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 42,680 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,003,000 after purchasing an additional 16,450 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 132,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,534,000 after buying an additional 24,497 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 53,861 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,313,000 after buying an additional 12,219 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,018,000. Finally, SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,316,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday. Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 target price on Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.44.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of DUK opened at $123.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.38. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.89 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.36.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.085 dividend. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.17%.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings exceeded expectations. Duke Energy reported adjusted EPS of $1.43, ahead of the roughly $1.30 consensus, while net income rose year over year as higher electricity demand and recovery of infrastructure investments offset rising expenses. Duke Energy’s profit beats as higher power demand offsets rising expenses
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its growth outlook. Full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance remains $6.55 to $6.80, with expected long-term EPS growth of 5% to 7% through 2030. Duke also identified up to $10 billion of potential capital investment tied to contracted data-center and other large-load demand, with new demand expected to begin taking power in late 2027. Duke Energy targets capital upside
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina regulators reached a compromise. Duke Energy Progress will continue investing in reliability infrastructure, but the proposed rate increase will be reduced by more than half. Duke will also contribute an additional $10 million to assist vulnerable customers. The agreement reduces affordability and regulatory risks but may limit near-term rate-related revenue growth. Duke Energy Progress reaches North Carolina agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Hotter-than-normal Florida weather could support electricity demand, while a vehicle-related outage affecting about 5,000 Greensboro customers is unlikely to materially affect company earnings. Duke Energy Florida summer heat
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue fell short of forecasts. Quarterly revenue increased 1.1% to $7.59 billion but missed the $7.66 billion consensus, and higher depreciation and interest expenses remain pressures on profitability. Duke Energy Q2 earnings beat estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts lowered their price targets. BMO and Barclays each reduced their targets to $132, although both maintained bullish ratings. The cuts signal more limited near-term upside and likely contributed to the stock’s weakness despite the earnings beat.

Duke Energy 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.