Korea Investment CORP Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Korea Investment CORP raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 630,193 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,978 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $77,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 211.1% in the third quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 2,608.3% during the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Brookfield completed a minority investment in Duke Energy Florida (9.2%), signaling outside capital for Florida infrastructure growth and a potential de‑risking/partnering path for regional expansion. Brookfield Stake Reshapes Duke Energy Florida Growth And Investor Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida reported its lowest average outage times in over 20 years — an operational win that supports reliability narratives and lowers regulatory/PR risk. Duke Energy Florida achieves lowest average outage times in more than 20 years
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary on sector rotation spots Duke among blue‑chip defensive names that could attract flows as investors rotate out of expensive tech; Duke’s dividend history and “all of the above” generation mix are cited as catalysts. 3 Blue-Chip Stocks Built for a Rotating Market
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst upgrades / favorable coverage have pushed DUK toward a 52‑week high earlier this week, supporting momentum and investor sentiment around near‑term upside. Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke published guidance and customer‑facing information explaining higher winter bills and outlining payment/assistance options — important for customer relations and potential regulatory scrutiny but not an immediate earnings surprise. Understanding higher energy bills this winter – and how Duke Energy can help
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro pieces highlighting falling interest rates as a potential tailwind for rate‑sensitive utilities could support multiple expansion for Duke if the rate outlook continues to shift. Interest Rates Are Heading Down — These 3 Stocks Win Big When They Do
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore ISI issued a downgrade/negative note on Duke (coverage reported), which can cap near‑term upside and adds analyst skepticism despite other favorable coverage; that pressure likely explains some intraday volatility. Evercore ISI Group downgrades Duke Energy (DUK)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. This represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Duke Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $136.87.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $132.53 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $111.22 and a fifty-two week high of $132.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.41%.

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.