Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $31.42 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 18.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 239,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 54,166 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $31,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 56.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $312,067,000 after purchasing an additional 965,808 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares in the last quarter. Milford Funds Ltd. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $97,905,000. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 83.3% during the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on DUK. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s 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 owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy raised its quarterly dividend to $1.085 per share from $1.06, signaling confidence in cash flow and providing a higher income yield for investors. Duke Energy announces dividend payments to shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted its Duke Energy Florida EnergyWise Home program, which offers up to $141 in annual bill credits with minimal effort from customers, supporting customer retention and goodwill. Sign up, sit back, save: Duke Energy Florida program offers bill credits with minimal requirements, little effort needed from customers
• Positive Sentiment: Separately, Duke Energy is being discussed favorably for its long-term pivot toward nuclear power as it exits offshore wind, a move intended to support future electricity demand from data centers and industrial customers. Should Duke Energy’s (DUK) Pivot From Offshore Wind to Nuclear Reshape Its Long‑Term Strategy?
• Neutral Sentiment: North Carolina regulators are still reviewing Duke’s proposed rate hikes, and related headlines suggest the outcome is not yet fully resolved, keeping some uncertainty around future earnings and returns. Utilities sought record rate increases this spring as Duke’s request remains before NC regulators
• Negative Sentiment: Public scrutiny around Duke Energy’s rate increase plans and customer bill credits may add pressure on sentiment, as investors weigh regulatory risk and affordability concerns. Duke Energy’s rate increase meets a very energized public | Opinion

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $124.28 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 0.38. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $113.89 and a 52 week high of $134.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $124.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.36. 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 earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.085 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

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.