96,850 Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Acquired by SageGuard Financial Group LLC

SageGuard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 96,850 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,352,000. Duke Energy accounts for about 1.8% of SageGuard Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 523.4% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after buying an additional 35,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $954,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $127.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.33. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $111.22 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company has a market capitalization of $99.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.23 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.16.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on DUK shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.38.

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.