Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 9,562 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 70,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,562 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,910,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 62.7% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 42,680 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,003,000 after buying an additional 16,450 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 132,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,534,000 after acquiring an additional 24,497 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its position in Duke Energy by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 1,283,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $162,429,000 after acquiring an additional 170,700 shares in the last quarter. SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,316,000. Finally, Meritage Portfolio Management purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $4,018,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utilities could benefit from rising electricity demand tied to the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence data centers. The trend supports Duke Energy’s long-term generation and grid-investment opportunity, although the referenced article focuses on utility ETFs rather than DUK specifically. Utility ETFs to Buy as Rapid AI Buildout Sparks Energy Crisis
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy has restored most power after severe storms in Greater Cincinnati, with nearly 223,000 outages addressed and crews working to restore the remaining customers. Faster restoration limits prolonged service disruption and reputational damage. Duke Energy restores 85% of Greater Cincinnati outages
• Neutral Sentiment: The Duke Energy Foundation announced $500,000 for North Carolina small-business programs and emergency grants for storm recovery in Ohio and Kentucky. The initiatives may support community relations but are not financially material to DUK. Duke Energy invests $500,000 to help small businesses
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy completed the sale of 40 million equity units. The financing provides capital for infrastructure and growth, but the additional equity can dilute existing shareholders and signals substantial funding needs. Duke Energy Completes Major Equity Units Financing Offering
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is challenging a proposed 6.8% residential rate increase and rejecting the related settlement. Regulatory opposition raises uncertainty over Duke’s ability to recover costs and earn its targeted returns. AG Jeff Jackson rejects Duke Energy settlement
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed Duke Energy plant is drawing opposition in Davie and Davidson counties, creating potential permitting, construction and political obstacles. More than 2,000 customers also remained without power during severe storms, highlighting near-term reliability and restoration costs. Duke Energy plant proposal draws opposition

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $123.83 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.89 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The stock has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $126.59.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The business had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.085 per share. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $136.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.44.

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.