Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. Reduces Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. cut its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 0.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 991 shares during the quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $14,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 98.1% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 360.0% in the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $141.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.50.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $122.42 on Thursday. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $105.20 and a twelve month high of $127.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $122.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.59.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.