BLB&B Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

BLB&B Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 3.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,675 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 863 shares during the period. BLB&B Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Souders Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 12,443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $125.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.44. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The firm 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 for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen started coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.00.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.